Photokinesis
by PocketRamblr
Summary: Terri thought her mutation wouldn't cause many problems- she could control light, and not even cool laser/explosion/can hurt people light. But of course not. Instead, she is specifically targeted for her weak power, kidnapped-but-not-really several times, makes friends with awkward teen vigilantes, and slaps Magneto in the face.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: an XMA au where instead of finding Logan in Striker's cage, the teens find Laura, and release her to similar results. Logan had already escaped at the time, and shortly after the apocalypse issue joined the team at Xavier's. also, Alex didn't die bc he should have been three doors back from where he was aka Peter could have saved him and ALSO bc part of his power is being immune to his own, and cyclops', psionic blasts, and didn't the movie writers research their character's power? He was just gravely injured and was in critical condition. He's fine now, just lost his lower left leg.**

Alterria shook her head as she watched Jay Gatsby throw clothing down on Daisy on the screen in her English class room. She saw many other students do the same, one girl even voicing how stupid she found it. Coach Kinsley, their teacher, smiled a bit before returning to his computer.

The door opened and a girl in a yellow jacket with pigtails came in. She gave a pink slip to Coach Kinsley, then left. Coach looked at the slip, then turned to Terri.

"This is for you. To the councilors office, when convenient." Terri nodded as she took it, then put it on her deck and turned back to the screen. The girl next to her, Lillian, turned to her.

"Aren't you gonna go?"

"Nah, I'll go at the end of the period. I have lunch next block, and I can go then. I wanna watch the movie"

Lillian nodded, and turned back to the movie as well. Terri glanced down at the slip. She wanted to watch the movie, yes, but she doubted she'd go to the councilor immediately after.

One, she had been to the councilor last week and they had finalized her schedule.

Two, this slip looked different, and not quite like the last one she had gotten. It didn't have all the unnecessary checks and options the other pass had listed at the bottom. She remembered making fun of all the reasons with Mari at lunch.

And three, Terri recognized the girl who had brought it in. She didn't go to her school.

When the bell rang, Terri slowly picked up her notebooks and shoved the pink slip into her lunch bag. She left the class room, planning on joining Mari and Cecily in the cafeteria. But as she turned into an empty side hall lined with lockers, she heard a voice behind her. She turned, and caught just a glimpse of the girl in the yellow jacket before someone grabbed her arm from the front, saying urgently, "Don't!"

She half turned again, before her vision was filled with blue smoke and her nostrils with an acrid, sulfuric smell.

"Whoa" she yelped, leaning into the arm, before realizing she wasn't in the school anymore, but a dimly lit room with many machines around it. She jumped back from the person who had grabbed- and apparently taken -her here.

There were also more people approaching them. She looked around at them. A man in a wheel chair, a red haired girl and a teen boy with strange glasses, two taller men, one show seemed very strong and broad and the other, less so. When she turned to the one who had had her arm, she saw a boy with long black hair and blue skin. His red eyes seemed to glow. She realized who they were and took another shaky step away from all of them.

"Stay back!" she said, her voice sounding week and afraid, even to her. She tried again. "Why am I here? Don't come any closer, or I'll-" she put her hand together, and began to form a glowing white ball. It wasn't much, but she had discovered a few years ago she could make objects glow, and even form small balls of light between her hands. It wasn't much, but she had hidden her mutation from everyone but her family. Drew had always like it, but she still didn't use it much.

"I don't want to use it, so just stay back…" this approach obviously wasn't working, and they had continued toward her. The man in the wheel chair slowed to a stop at this, and gestured the other to follow suit. The red haired girl pressed her fingers to her head, and turned to the man, who looked back at her, then nodded. While they were distracted, Terri attempted to get further from them, but hit a device on a lab table she hadn't noticed behind her.

 _Clang!_

Terri jumped, and mentally scolded herself as the others attention returned to her. The light between her hands faded, but she quickly made it flare back up.

"Please, be calm" said the blue boy, looking nervous. "I am very sorry to grab you so sudden. We just did not want the others to hurt you". He spoke with an accent, maybe German.

Terri stared at him. "The others? You mean that girl? But I recognized her, I recognized all of you, you're…" her voice trailed off her temporary confusion fading back to apprehension.

"X-Men" the red haired girl said. "Yes, we are. But that girl wasn't. It was… someone else pretending to be Jubilee." Terri assumed Jubilee was the yellow-jacket mutant.

"Who?" demanded Terri, "and why? I'm not all that…" she faltered, looking for the right word.

"Dangerous?" the girl supplied for her. "No, sorry, but you really aren't. You couldn't hurt us with that light, even if your heart was really in it. As for who, well," she turned to the man in the wheel chair.

"We do not know for certain," admitted the man, "though we do know they are working for a man named William striker. And he probably is, ah, interested in you because your ability is not dangerous. The last mutant he tried to, um, use was very dangerous. She ended up escaping and causing him a lot of grief."

"With no small help from us." grumbled the boy with the glasses, speaking for the first time.

The blue boy shuddered, "I do not want to remember that, but thank you so much, Scott."

Scott grinned

"That's what they get for trying to clone me." muttered the strong man.

Terri still had no idea what they were talking about, but she was now twice as worried.

"Hey, it's okay" reassured the ginger, and Terri felt a small compulsion to calm settle over her, a reassurance, before it went away. Oh heck no.

"You're in my head?!" exclaimed the girl, whose whole body was beginning to glow faintly. "like him?" she pointed to the man in the chair. "like he was, earlier… in everyone head. During the International Panic, when- when- in Egypt- well- in everywhere-they-uh-" she was rambling now, fully panicking.

"Yes." Interrupted the bald man. "when Apocalypse attempted to destroy the world. They all were there, actually, fighting. Well, not him" he gestured behind him to the strong man, who hmphed with a small bit of humor.

"Where were you instead?" the question slipped out of Terri's mouth before she could fully realize she had asked. Her eyes widened, and she stuttered, "Um- uh- I mean- It doesn't ma-ma-"

"Honestly? Probably in a bar somewhere. I dunno. Not with these crazies, that for sure." The strong man said, with a slight smirk that betrayed he was even a little shocked at the question. "Where were you?" he shot back.

"At home, with my family. Me and my siblings hid under the table, we all watched the tv and-" Terri choked off, concerned for her family and wondering why she was telling them all this. Would she see family again? What if this Striker person got to them too?

"Your family is fine." assured the man who read minds. "We have people protecting them now, Summers and Julen. If you wish, you could join them, but it may put them in even more danger. Or, you could stay at the academy and train with us. We can help you with your powers" he gestured to her still glowing arms. She looked down and quickly stopped the light.

"Ye-yeah. Ok. I'll think about it. But, I've kinda got one more day of school left, and an exam last period tomorrow, and, yeah." Her mind was racing a mile a minute. The man in the chair seemed to understand.

"Yes. We can get you back to your school in time for your exam, and keep a watch on you. Summers and Julen have no doubt explained the situation to your family. Would you like to call them?"

Terri nodded. The man smiled, and gestured for him to follow him out of the room.

AN: well, here it is, the first chapter of Photokinesis. hope you enjoyed, R+R, all that good stuff. oh, and I should update the second chapter pretty soon too, but after that there's no promises.


	2. Chapter 2

After explaining everything on the phone to her parents, she told them to give her love to her siblings, Lila, Tony, and Drew, and that she would call them later tonight. Terri turned to the man, who had told her to call him Professor Xavier.

"Have you decided what you want to do?"

"Yes. I want to finish off the school year tomorrow. Then I'll come and stay at this school for the summer. I'm gonna have to leave for a couple of weeks here and there, planed stuff like camps and such. I'll decide if I want to go back to my school for senior year of stay here later. Uh, is all that ok?"

Xavier smiled. "Of course."

"Um, and, I, that is, you, well… you won't use your powers to make me change my mind?"

"No, of course not. Unless you suddenly plan of killing someone and I have to stop you, I will let you do whatever you wish."

Terri grinned a little. He was joking, right? "Thank you, professor."

"You are quite welcome my dear. Now, I'll have Jean show you your room. you have it to yourself for the rest of the week, but we do have another girl coming for the summer as well. Angelica Jones. She's about your age, and can, appropriately enough, control microwave radiation. will that be a problem?"

"No. Thanks again, professor"

"Of course, ah, here is Jean now. I'll see you two later". The Professor wheeled off and Jean led Terri up a flight of stairs and to her room.

"I will be going to your school tomorrow. No one will see me, except you, and I should be able to get us out of there I anything goes badly. Do you mind if you just go to the classes after your lunch?"

Terri nodded. It made sense, if she was there all day Strider would almost certainly send someone to get her before the end of her day, and she had to take the exam tomorrow.

Jean opened a door. "Here is your room. We'll be taking you to get your things tomorrow. Until then, we've got some clothes you can use." She glanced at the clock on the dresser by the bed. "Dinner will be in about three hours or so. You can take a nap or go to the library I could show you round if you want."

Terri shook her head. "I think I'll just relaxing in here for now. Thanks though."

Jean nodded and turned to go. Before she left, she turned. "Hey, everything will be okay. You're with us now, got it?"

Terri nodded and Jean left. After looking around the room and exploring the drawers and closets- there wasn't much, just a few simple t-shirts and a pair each of jean shorts and longer jeans. She decided to worry about that tomorrow. She sat on the bed, thinking about how quickly everything had changed. This morning she never would have supposed she would need to even be in a special place for mutants. When her powers developed, she had figured they weren't impressive or powerful enough to cause her trouble, but now she was in danger for that very reason. She sighed, all this was giving her a headache.

She didn't remember when she dozed off, only of waking up about four and a half hours later.

* * *

When Terri woke up, her light was still on and her back hurt a bit, but she felt better overall. She looked at the clock and realized dinner would probably be over. But, she was feeling very hungry now, so she decided to see if she could find something to eat.

Many of the rooms lining the halls had lights on and she could see people hanging out in them. She was in the Girls Hall, of course, but if she remembered right, Guys could hang out with them-and vice versa- until eight, as long as the doors remained open. There were also people hanging out in the halls and commons, she saw the boy with the glasses, the one the News Stations had dubbed Cyclops, flirting on a couch with Jean, who seemed to be more interested in reading her book. But if the faint red in her cheek Terri could just see behind the pages were any clue, she was enjoying it. Terri had just decided not to bother them and continue to the kitchens, or at least where she thought the kitchens were, when Jean looked up at her.

"Hey Terri, we missed you at dinner. Are you hungry, do you need anything?" Jean offered.

"No, I'm good. Just looking for the kitchens to see if I could get a little snack. My nap ended up a bit longer than I anticipated sorry. Oh, can I get a snack? You guys don't have any super strict diets or rules or anything, do you?" Gosh, she hoped not.

"Oh no, your fine I can take you to the kitchens myself if you want, get you something." Jean put her book down and stood, much to Terri's embarrassment.

"No no, you don't need to do that. Um, could you just point me to the kitchen?"

"Really, it's no trouble.

"O-oh, alright then." Terri rubbed her arm, shifting away from the couch as Jean stood up and put her book on the coffee table, then motioned to a corridor on the side of the small common area.

"The kitchen is on the first floor, in the center-west wing. The girls get the west dorms, so we just go down these stairs, and through our dining area."

"How many west wings, or is it just wings, uh, do you have a map of this place?" Terri was getting very confused very quickly.

Jean smiled at her, and nodded. "Yeah, we've got some in the office room. Um, its all locked up now, but I can, er, show you one with my… powers." Jean tapped the side of her head.

Terrri's eyes widened. "You can do that? Like, not just with a thought, but a picture?"

Jean nodded, and stopped Terri. "Don't want you to fall down the rest of the stairs."

Terri nodded, and shut her eyes very tight.

' _you don't need to do that'_ Jean said.

Except, Terri hadn't heard her say it, it had appeared in her mind.

It was a very odd experience, not at all like Terri had expected, and she almost wondered if she had just made that thought up herself, and it was just her.

' _no, it's me'_

Terri opened her eyes to see a very amused smile on Jeans face.

"I am doing it" the grinning girl said, aloud this time. "Ready for the map?"

"Yeah, sorry." Terri apologized, deciding to keep her eyes open this time.

Jean brought a finger to her temple, and closed her own eyes softly. Terri didn't realize she did as well.

In her mind, she suddenly saw an old, large, mansion.

' _this is the school_ ' Jeans voice explained, ' _the classroom and office are the first two floors, here and here.'_

Terri couldn't explain it, but as Jean spoke- er, thought? - the knowledge just sort of entered her mind, and she felt like she could walk around the school as if she had lived there years.

Jean continued, ' _the student dorms are the third floor, as well as some teachers. The rest live on the fourth floor. The gym and pool are in the first basement_.'

"First?" Terri asked aloud. The picture of the locker rooms she had been shown vanished, and she opened her eyes. Jean was looking embarrassed. Apparently Terri's question had broken the telepathic girl's concentration. She didn't know, but this was a relatively new skill Jean had picked up. The girls were lucky the released effort hadn't caused a burst of red energy and anti-gravity.

"Yeah, there is a second basement, but it's really only for X-men stuff, the lab you were in, training, that sort of thing. Uh, sorry." Jean rushed to say. "The kitchen is this way."

They went down the last few steps and jean showed her a large dining hall with several long tables, before they entered a kitchen.

Terri started back when she saw two figures by the stove, apparently making popcorn. She recognized one of them, his tail swinging back and forth in excitement. The other, well, she recognized the yellow jacket.

"Its-its that girl" she said softly to Jean, before she remembered what she had said earlier, in the basement. "Or… the girl she was pretending to be?"

"Yep," Jean said, stepping forward as the two teenagers turned away from the stove to look at them. "This is Jubilation Lee and Kurt Wagner. Guys, this is Alterria, but she goes by Terri."

"Hi! You can call me Jubilee, Terri. I'm glad you're here! Want some popcorn? I'm trying to help Kurt get the hang of it." The pigtailed girl said excitedly.

"Hallo" said the blue boy, looking a bit nervous. "I'm Kurt. Uh, I am so sorry about grabbing you earlier, ah, well, um" he trailed off, looking down.

"Oh, uh, it's okay. Actually, I guess I should be thanking you from keeping me from being some sort of experiment or whatever that Sticker guy wanted." Terri smiled nervously at the boy, who looked up and grinned back at her a little.

"Well, saving people is What We do, uh, especially pretty girls like yourself, fraul- uh, miss." He looked back at the floor again, and Terri blushed.

"Thanks. Um, I guess popcorn sounds good, but I kinda didn't have any dinner actually, um," she looked at the fridges on the opposite wall. "you guys have any leftover dinner?"

Jean nodded, and put her finger on her temple again. The fridge door swung open.

"Yeah, we have chicken or stake fajitas from tonight, there's also a few hamburger patties or pizza slices from lunch, you want either of those? There's also some f-"

"Chicken fajitas sound great" Terri broke in. Jean nodded, and a few Tupperware containers started moving to the cabinet, a plate came down from a shelf and some silverware from another. Terri watched in amazement as Jean put together two fajitas exactly as she liked them, then warmed them up in a microwave. It wasn't until Jean floated the plate to a bar that she looked up, and glanced sheepishly at Terri.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even ask if you wanted to make it yourself, uh"

"No no, its ok." Terri grinned. "you made it just like I would have, how did you know, oh wait, dumb question, sorry, I'm not sure, ahk, I mean…" Terri shrugged awkwardly. The two girls stared awkwardly and apologetically at each other, then burst out laughing.

"Oh, if you're sure its ok, then it was no trouble, you're alright, I don't think I would know how to respond to a telepath either-especially one that read my mind then pulled dinner out of it, and I really should have asked." Jean said while Terri attempted to wave it off and thank her multiple times.

Kurt, who had been watching in various degrees of amusement the entire time, turned back to Jubilee, who was the most used to Jean's telepathy and had focused on the popcorn. Jubilee smiled at him and handed him two bowls.

"Give 'er one, will ya Kurt? You want some popcorn two Jean?"

Jean shook her head, and moved to leave the kitchen.

"I'm good right now, but thank you Jubi-"

"Fine, then take some up to Scott, 'cuz I know you two were totally _'studying'_ together." Terri did not really know Jubilee or Jean- but she caught that the girl was taking a dig at the redhead, and she wondered how true it was. It would be kinda cute. Then she tried to stop thinking that, because _hello_ , the redhead is right there _and_ is also a _freaking telepath_. Fortunately, Jean did not react to Terri's thoughts, if she heard them.

Jubilee handed Jean a bowl with easily two peoples share of popcorn in it, then took the rest and sat next to Terri. Jean blushed, but took the bowl of popcorn without comment and left. Kurt laughed from Terri's other side.

"Are Jean and Scott dating then?" she asked Jubilee, who grinned.

" 'Pends on who you ask."

"Oh?" Terri took a bite of her fajita. Oooh, it was good.

" _Ja_ , if you ask Jean, then she will tell you that they are _not_ dating." Kurt broke in with amusement.

"But if you ask Scott, or _anyone else on the campus_ , they will say that the two of them are practically married." Finished Jubilee as she ate a handful of popcorn.

Terri nodded. She had guessed as much, from how everyone acted about it.

"So, is everyone here part of the X-men? Because I don't really see myself being… a fighter"

Both mutants shook their head.

"I'm not even an X-men yet, though I want to be." Jubilee announced. "I will get to start training classes in the fall though, maybe even this summer. They want me to be able to handle myself in a fight without my powers first, so" She shrugged, then continued. "Ol' Kurt here is an X-men though, isn't that right _Nightcrawler_?"

Kurt shot a look at her across Terri, before smiling and shrugging. " _Ja_ , it is." He pointed on of his three fingers at Terri's plate. "Would you like anymore?"

Terri hadn't realized she was so hungry, or that she was eating so fast. She shook her head.

"No, I'm good, but thanks." Terri got up to put her plat in the sink, and washed it off. She heard Jubilee giggle.

"What, should I not rinse of my plate or-"

"No no, I was laughing at Kurt. You're good." Terri looked between the two mutants, who were both grinning way too mischievously, reminding her of her youngest brother Andrew. She slowly turned back to the sink, saying "Okaaaaay then" as she did. She kept them in the corner or her sight, and after a few seconds, saw…

"Kurt! Are you stealing my popcorn?" she turned toward them fully, then burst out laughing at Kurt's abashed face, His tail on which balanced three of her popcorn kernels, and Jubilee's obvious attempt to look innocent.

"Whaaaat? No, I would never…." Kurt said, trying not to laugh as he not-to-secretly flicked the popcorn back into her bowl. "Jubilee, did you do that?" he asked.

This was apparently too much for Jubilee, who burst out into uncontrollable giggles. She hit the bar a few times, then- to Terri's shock- several colorful sparks flew from her hands.

Terri jumped back, and with a soft 'bamf' sound she realized Kurt had teleported behind her.

Jubilee did not appear to notice the sparks, until she looked up to see Terri's alarmed face.

"Oh, was I?" she made flicking motions with her hands, Terri hoped she meant the sparks of light, and nodded.

"Sorry," Jubilee rubbed the back of her neck, "That's my mutation, I make little Pafts, sparks of energy. I didn't mean to scare you, sorry." She eyed Kurt, who immediately teleported back to his seat.

"But you know about my powers!" She pointed at him

"I was still startled!" Kurt defended. "didn't the professor say that you were not supposed to make fireworks inside?"

"It was an accident!" Jubilee exclaimed, before shaking her head and turning to Terri. "Sorry, I usually have a good grip on it. Anyway, do you want to take the popcorn and chill upstairs? Maybe meet some more students."

Terri considered a moment, before nodding and picking up her bowl. "Sounds good to me"

"Great, let's go!" Jubilee excitedly picked up her own popcorn, then turned to Kurt.

"So, Kurt-y boy, do you think you could take us-"

"Not a chance Jubes." Kurt smiled. "I am not, ah, your personal taxi service. Besides, walking upstairs is good exercise for your training"

"Fine," Jubilee sighed, and led them out the door.

They had taken two steps into the dining room when Kurt grinned at them.

"So, I will see you upstairs then?" and 'bamfed' away.

"That little elf!" Jubilee exclaimed angrily. "So he can't take us, but its fine for him to teleport, that nice, Kurt," she looked back at Terri. "And stop laughing at me!"

* * *

 **AN: yay! actual interaction with two of my three favorite characters! and if your wondering where Peter is, he'll be in the next chapter, don't worry. R+R, F+F, all that nice stuff if you liked it. see ya next time.**


	3. Chapter 3

When Jubilee and Terri got upstairs, they saw Kurt lounging on a couch, his tail swirling playfully as he popped a bit of popcorn into his mouth.

"Hallo ladies." He smirked playfully, showing his sharp teeth, "enjoy the, er, scenic route?"

In response, Jubilee threw a handful of popcorn at him. Impressively, he caught three of the pieces in his mouth.

"Danke."

Jubilee looked like she might throw the entire bowl at him this time, but then she shrugged and laughed along. It wasn't worth the waste of all that popcorn, really. She just walked over to the couch and told him to scoot over, unless he wanted to be sat on. Kurt sighed, but made room for them.

Terri sat down and made herself comfortable next to jubilee, and set her popcorn on her lap. She absentmindedly ate a few pieces, before turning to the girl next to her.

"So, how does this school slash x-men thing work? Do you take a super-hero version of English 3 or something?"

Jubilee laughed. "No, though that would be interesting. We've got all the normal classes, and most of the AP and IB courses as well. We also have a lot of sports and gym classes, to keep us healthy" here, she rolled her eyes. "Plus, senior kids who show a lot of talent can start training as X-Men. 'course, that's a new thing, and no one is really sure how its gonna work, 'cept the ones who are already members." Jubilee cast a sideways glace at Kurt, who was listing interestedly. "Actually, they probably don't even know." Kurt pouted a bit, and Jubilee continued. "But I do know the Professor has a lot of qualifications for his X-men. Parents, if you got 'em, have to meet him in person to discuss it. And he's gotta check to see if you are mentally up for it, Miss Mystique has to pass your physical before you can even begin fight training, stuff like that."

"Oh." Terri managed. It was a lot of information to take in. She went to grab another handful of popcorn when her bowl suddenly vanished.

"What?" she looked around. Jubilee sighed, and pointed to the corner of the small room, where a man dressed in a lot of silver- like an almost indecent amount of silver- and wearing goggles on his head was holding her popcorn.

"Hi there" there was a faint _whoosh_ sound, and then he was right next to her. "You the new girl?" another second, and he was on the opposite side of the room. "I'm Peter" the boy stopped talking for a second, to eat a bit of her snack, then moved back to the first corner. "This is where you say your name." he grinned.

"Terri. Can I have my popcorn back?"

In response, Peter ate another piece. Terri stood up and moved toward him, but before she could take a second step he was across the room, behind her.

"Do you, uh, teleport too?" Terri said as she tried to follow him as he appeared in different areas of the room, each time eating a single piece of popcorn.

"Nah, Kurt's the only one I know who can do that. Well, him and the red guy from the Professor's files that the old man thinks I haven't gone through. Not the point though. I'm just really fast."

"Cool. Now can I have my popcorn back?" Terri gestured to the bowl in his hands. Peter pretended to consider, then appeared behind the couch.

"I don't know, I have worked up a lot of energy running around, getting Al and Max to your house, rescuing you, running around this room, and all that. I'm kind of hungry."

"Huh, I'm pretty sure Kurt did all the work." Terri scoffed, before pointing to the popcorn, which was now beginning to glow. "and I would give that back to me before it explodes."

"Hmm," Peter looked down and thought for about half a second, which must have been pretty long for him.

Then Terri blinked and found herself sitting on the couch, feet on the table and popcorn in her lap. Peter was standing by the doorway.

"Enjoy your popcorn, Ladies." he said with a grin. "and Terri, get your feet of the table before some responsible teacher come along and yells at you for it." Then he zipped off. The three teenagers sat in confused silence for a few second, before Jubilee shrugged and turned to Terri, who had hurriedly put her feet back on the floor.

"So, you make things explode?"

Terri rolled her eyes. "Nah, I just made it glow. I can, uh, manipulate light, I guess. Nothing really good for fighting though. My light doesn't even have heat, or form. It's just light." Terri shrugged, then looked at her much-emptier-that-it-should-be popcorn bowl. "So, um, who was that?"

Jubilee laughed. "That was Peter Maximoff. He's one of the X-men, and he 'helps' teach gym here. I think he has a secret" she added as an afterthought.

"Oh? Why?" Terri asked as Kurt shifted. Jubilee laughed.

"Oh, he's obviously hiding something, and he acts a little too… him. Plus, Kurt squirms whenever I mention it, so he knows."

Terri hummed thoughtfully as Kurt attempted to tell Jubilee the was no secret.

"Have you gone on lots of cool x-men missions, Kurt?" she asked the blue mutant. "Any really awesome villains you've fought? Lots of pretty girls you've rescued?"

Kurt laughed, looking down, a slight purple blush on his cheeks. "Well, the 'International Panic' as they call it, was our first battle together. Most of our missions now are… less difficult. Mostly rescuing mutants, from bad homes or threats like Striker. The older x-men, though, have some more missions, gathering information, but none of us know what all they do."

"Yeah, Apocalypse was totally the most powerful villain yet." Jubilee said. "And Kurt has done his fair share of rescuing, don't shake your head, elf, it's true. Um, Paige and Sam, Petra, Reva-what's-her-bucket, and loads others."

Kurt shook his head again, "Jean and Scott helped with Petra and Nathan. Peter helped with Paige and Samuel, everyone had to work together for Revanche, Ms. McTaggart found Suzanne on her own, not to mention all the others."

Jubilee sighed again. "Kurt, when I am done with you, you will understand how fab you are. Notice, for example, how you are someone who _always_ gets called in for rescues. Not even _Jean_ can say that!"

"Jean was having a bad day with her powers, that is why she couldn't help. And my powers are just good for quick rescues. Does not mean I'm all that 'fab'." Kurt protested, before changing the subject to ask about Terri's favorite movies. For perhaps the next 45 minutes, the mutants talked about random, teenage things. Then Terri asked about the tall man who had been with the X-men in the basement, one of the two she had not recognized from the, somewhat limited, videos on tv.

"Oh, that's Logan" Jubilee explained. "We found him in Canada. None of the students-" here she cut a look at Kurt, who looked down quickly, before continuing. "-know why or how they got him here, only that they were looking for someone, who was looking for him. Its _super_ complicated, but I think he and the professor know each other. Well, the professor does, but Logan has… some memory problems. Or at least, that's what the rumors say." Again, she looked at Kurt.

Kurt looked down. "oh, we seem to have eaten all the popcorn, I can run it down to the kitchen be right back." With that, he grabbed each of the girls' empty bowls and teleported away.

"Smooth." Muttered Jubilee.

"Something is definitely going on" agreed Terri. Then she grinned at Jubilee. "Soooo, any guys at this school you might be interested in?"

The girls laughed. "No, not me. I mean, there are definitely some cute guys here. Buuuuuuut, half the girls in the school fall over themselves for Peter, Kurt, and or Scott, depending on the girl. I mean, Scott and Kurt aren't bad looking, but I guess, like, I just know them too well." She trailed off, then grinned. "There's really no excuse for the Peter Fan club though. He's a teacher, for one thing, and an utterly insane kleptomaniac for another. What about you, though? Any guys in your view?"

"Nah, all of the guys at my school are all, eh, ya know? Either way, I'm not great at, like, dating? Or flirting, or interacting with guys in general."

"Wanna know a secret?" Jubilee said, and eyebrow raised. "No one is. The nice thing is that guys are normally too dense to notice or care. And if you want any help getting to know some hot guys here…" she offered. Terri shook her head.

"I'm good. I've got enough to get used to without adding guys to the equation."

Jubilee nodded sympathetically. "Got it. But ya know, that actually might help you adjust, a cute guy to walk you to classes and all…"

"Don't even think about it, girlfriend." Both girls looked at each other, then dissolved into laughter again.

*Bamf!* Kurt appeared in front of them. He looked between them.

Jubilee grinned. "Oh, nothing, I was just suggesting to Terri here that Scott or Peter would be more than happy to show her around later, if she wanted"

Terri gasped, picking up a throw pillow from the couch. "Jubilation Lee you had better not. No, it's just she and I were just joking about-" she attempted to explain, before her friend interrupted her.

"I was just saying that with all the flirting between them, Terri could get either guy to-"

This time, Terri interrupted her friend, with a pillow to the face.

"If you say another word, I will tell Peter that you were writing his name in your notebook with a bunch of hearts! He'll never stop annoying you then!" she threatened, punctuating her point by slapping Jubilee with a pillow several times, before Jubilee picked of the pillow from her side of the couch, and retaliated.

"Kurt, hold her down!" Terri pleaded, laughing as she doubled her soft attacks.

"Kurt, we have been friends much longer!" Jubilee pointed out.

Kurt, however, was not in a position to help anyone, as he was on the floor, laughing at the girls.

Suddenly, they all heard a voice.

' _Jubilation, Alterria, please quiet down and stop using the pillows as weapons. Oh, and help Kurt off the floor.'_ The professor thought to them, sounding equal parts amused and tired. The girls stopped.

"Yes Professor" They both said, before looking toward Kurt, who was now laughing even harder. Jubilee sighed, putting down her pillow and offering Kurt a hand.

"We probably want to start settling down" The yellow-clad mutant said. "Tomorrow is the last day of school, and you two have had a long day." She explained, pulling Kurt up.

"Ja, you are probably right. Jubes, can you make sure Terri gets back to her room?"

The girls nodded. "See ya in the morning, Kurt" Jubilee said, giving him a half hug before he said "Good night." and bamfed away.

Terri looked at the other girl, and said "I think I know the way back to my room, I'll be-"

"What? Oh no, I just said that to get him away. So back to that boy talk…" She said, sitting back on the couch.

Terri giggled, but rolled her eyes and said, "I'm leaving, bye." Before turning to leave the room.

"Kidding!" Jubilee said quickly, jumping back up. "And, uh, I think your room is _this_ way."

* * *

 **AN: ah, teenagers gossiping is so fun to write, ya know? anyway, I've got another chapter and a half I'm planning on writing this weekend, so there should be another update this week, if not sooner. also shout out to "Hugz Kissez", the first reviewer for the last chapter! you seem cool, hugz. remember to R+R, F+F, tell your mom you love her, bake some cookies, eat said cookies... because these things will make you happier. see ya'll next time!**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

The next morning, Alterria woke to a knock on her door, and heard Jean call "Can I come in?".

"Yeah, come in." she called back, and sat up as Jean came in, smiling.

"How'd you sleep last night?" the redhead asked, coming a bit nearer to the bed.

"Alright, I guess. It took a bit to fall asleep, but once I did I was fine." Terri felt the hidden question in Jean's asking, and didn't need to be a psychic to do so. The other girl had been making sure Terri didn't have any night mares or homesickness last night. Jubilee had told her Jean used to struggle with both, but didn't go into any details.

"That's good. Um, we've got a few simple clothes in your closet. The Professor said your parents would be sending some of your clothes up today. Um, Jubilee said your welcome to borrow any of her accessories or makeup, if you wanted to jazz it up."

Terri smiled, thinking of the friendly girl. "That's nice of her. Thanks. Um, who's clothes are in my closet though?". That was a bit important, in her opinion.

"Oh, we've got a storage room filled with simple clothes of all sizes, since some of our students don't, or can't, bring much with them. Once you're done with them, those clothes will probably be washed thoroughly, then go back into storage for the next girl your size who needs it."

"Man, y'all think of everything around here, don't ya?" Terri laughed. "Um, I'm probably going to get ready now." Jean nodded, and went to left the room.

"Oh! I almost forgot. After breakfast, the professor wants to talk with you about getting to school later." Terri nodded, and the girl left.

Terri went to the closet and picked out the light jean shorts and a purple tee-shirt. Once she had dress, she quietly went out into the hall, where she saw some students all slowly heading to breakfast. Most of the students seemed to be tweens or teens, though she did see two young girls racing down the hall, looking about 6 or 7. One of them ran into her, and yelled "sorry!" as she went on. Her friend, who had dark hair and scales scattering her face, looked down shyly.

"Um, sorry for Judy" then she too raced off, looking to catch and scold her friend.

Terri stood by her door in silence, taking it all in.

"Hey, Terria!" she heard a peppy, if sleepy, voice call. Jubilee stood in the hall, by her door, she was dressed but her hair was up in a bandana and her makeup half on. She started waving, trying to get Terri to come to her. Terri grinned and went.

"Morning" Terri greeted. Jubilee nodded, taking in her outfit.

"I have the perfect thing for this." She raced into her room, then came out a few moments later with a gold loop belt with a matching headband.

"Put this around your waist, and untuck your shirt." She commanded, handing her the belt. Then she went around Terri and started messing with her hair, putting in the band and fluffing up her hair. Once she was done, she circled her friend, checking the outfit with the accessories.

"Perfect. I wish I could do your makeup, but our skin tones are totally different, and Em would kill me if I raided hers again. I'd also lend you my pair of jelly flats, but I don't think we are the same size, and your kicks look fine anyway." Jubilee shrugged. Then she went back toward her room, saying over her shoulder, "You should probably head on down to breakfast now. I heard we are having pancakes, and I'll be a while."

"'Kay. Thanks for all this." Terri called. Jubilee smiled, told her 'of course' and closed her door. Terri felt a bit better now, she had pancakes and chatty friends to look forward to. She dimly hoped her belt didn't belong to Jubilee's roommate, whoever Em was, but she figured if Jubilee wouldn't raid her makeup, she wouldn't raid her clothes. It would probably be fine.

Shrugging, she headed back down the hall to the dining room, where she saw Kurt and Peter sitting together. When they saw her, they waved her over.

"You can sit with us, if you want." Kurt offered. Terri nodded, and sat down. On the table, there were large tin dishes of pancakes, bacon, and scrambled eggs, a bowel of oranges and bananas, along with syrup, butter, peanut butter, jam, salt and pepper, and ketchup. A small note stuck on the edge of the pancake tin said: "3 pancakes, 2 pieces of bacon,1 fruit, and 2 scoop of eggs."

Terri filled her plate, topping her pancakes with loads of peanut butter and syrup. Peter grinned at her. Terri met his eyes warily.

"Better be careful, that stuff could be fattening." Peter snarked.

Terri flashed him a big, fake smile as Kurt said, "Peter…". He didn't get to continue, as Terri said back to Peter,

"Oh, I know, I'm just really hungry this morning. Maybe because I didn't get to eat all my dinner last night. Besides, protein is good, way healthier than, oh I don't know, Twinkies."

Peter just gave a quick grin, then blurred away from the table. Terri looked at Kurt questioningly, gesturing with her fork to where Peter had been sitting. Kurt got her question.

"Ah, he ist probably getting more food. He need to eat a lot more, since going so fast uses a lot of energy". Per Kurt's words, the speedster appeared again a few moments later, his plate piled high with pancakes and bacon, and- was that a Twinkie on top? Terri decided to not give him any more attention, and turned to continue eating. Peter just grinned, then asked:

"Sleep well last night?" he asked, saying the words in a rush

"Not too bad, I guess." Terri shrugged. "and the food here is really good, so that's nice."

Peter nodded. "Yeah, the cooks here make sure all the kids, and teachers, have the right amount of food. If you're still hungry, you can pop in for seconds." He stopped for a second, possibly to breath. "or fifths. Plus, they always have snacks." He nodded at his half eaten Twinkie.

Kurt frowned. "Actually, you aren't supposed to have sweet snacks until after lunch. But Peter is a thief, so I don't think that they even know."

Peter snorted. "Course they do, they are always complaining to each other about have to go get more. They just don't know if you or I are steeling them, and they haven't got proof anyway."

Kurt sighed. "Peter?"

"Yeah dude?"

"Why would the cooks think I am even steeling the Twinkies in the first place?"

Peter just grinned, and focused on his food. Peter was saved from a more aggressive interrogation by Jubilee, who sat down by Terri and began to fill her plate.

"Morning!" she greeted them all. Then she looked at Peter. "Old man. What did you do?" peter looked up innocently, looking between Jubilee and Kurt.

"Why would you think I have done anything, Sparky?"

"Well Speedy, Kurt looks annoyed and his accent got more noticeable. Terri hasn't been here long enough to do anything, plus I like her, but you," she pointed her fork at Peter threateningly, "Have. Plus, I mean, you've always just done, like, something."

"Weeeeell, young'n, I thing you should not, like, jump to conclusions like that. Also, have you heard of respecting your elders?" The silver haired mutant mocked, trying not to grin too much.

Jubilee sighed theatrically. "Well, I guess I could always ask Jean, I'm sure she could tell me what you've been up to… or maybe even the Professor."

Peter rolled his eyes. "I was just telling my little blue friend here that some cooks might suspect him of snack-snatching. Just a heads up, really."

"And you wouldn't have any idea of where they got the idea that Kurt would do that?"

"Nope"

Jubilee grinned triumphantly, surprising Terri. "Of course not, that would be beyond your social circle and skills, and probably your brain capacity as well."

Peter looked at her, then grinned back. "Touché." Then he dug into his pancake pile, and Jubilee tucked into her own food.

Terri finished off her plate, and decided she didn't need any seconds. Instead, she sat and watched Peter alternatively banter with Kurt or Jubilee. It was an entertaining half hour.

But then people stared filing out of the room, and Jubilee sighed.

"I guess we should get going to class now." She turned to Terri. "Are you just, like, chilling today, or what?"

Terri nodded. "I've got to drop back in to my old school later-oh I've got to talk to Professor Xavier about that- but until then, nothing."

Jubilee nodded, then poked her in the stomach. "Lucky, our last day is tomorrow, and you get to skive off till then..."

"Yeah. Well, I should probably talk to the professor, before his first class starts. Bye guys, see ya later" Terri stood and put her dishes in a bin near the kitchen, then decided to look for the Professor. Maybe he'd be in the office area?

* * *

She hadn't been looking long when she heard a voice. In her mind. From the Professor. Right, this was going to take some getting used to.

' _Alterria, sorry to keep you looking. I'm in room 113.'_

Terri nodded. "Thanks." She said out loud, before looking for that room number. When she did, she knocked hesitantly on the double doors.

"Come in." the Professor called. Shed opened the door, and saw Jean siting in a chair in front of the Professor. But she wasn't focused on him, rather, the ginger was carefully moving the other chairs into three rows of a semi-circle, facing a chalkboard. When she stepped into the room, Jean stoped and looked up.

"Oh, hey Terri. How was breakfast?"

"Good. I sat with Jubilee and Kurt and Peter. It was nice."

Jean smiled. "That's good."

"So, Alterria, how are you doing? With all these changes?" the Professor asked kindly.

"Oh, I don't know. I've met some nice students here. I hope we can be friends, though it is a little odd to be the new girl again. I haven't moved since I was ten, so." Terri thought back. "and, I do miss my family. Especially my mom and Lila." Terri swallowed thickly, trying not to cry. "But it is nice here. The rooms aren't bad, and the food is really good, so.." Terri trailed off, and started hugging herself. "Yeah." She finished lamely, not sure what to say next. The truth was, she had been ignoring the more permanent changes, trying to keep calm and happy. Now she had gone and reminded herself, and in front of two telepaths at that. Well, so much for that idea.

"Oh dear," Jean got up and came near her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine, Terri. If it helps, it's alright to talk about it, or even cry. Everyone at this school can get your feelings, most of us wouldn't be here if it were really safe anywhere else. No offense professor!" she said, looking at the man in the wheelchair, who just smiled.

"None taken."

"And, if it's safe by Friday, the prof was planning on getting you to your home for a few hours, to spend with your family." Jean continued. "Oh. I think he wanted to tell you that, or have it be a surprise, but I think you need some cheering up now."

Terri sniffled. "Thanks Jean, that would be nice. Oh! I meant to call them again last night and I forgot, after this do you think I could?" Jean nodded. "Thanks. Um, I guess I'm being a bit silly, as I and my family are safe. Some kids can't even say that." She mutters, feeling foolish. Jean face fell, and she turned to the professor, trying to keep her silent plea for his help from showing on her face. The professor mentally acknowledged her, then answered aloud to the other girl:

"It's not good to think like that, Terri. Suffering, sadness, it's not a completion. Be thankful for what you have, help others when they need it, and know its ok to cry when you need to. Anyway, we need to plan how we get you to those tests today."

Terri nodded, glad for the change of topic. Jean took that to be encouraging, and looked to the professor.

"What's your plan?" She asked.

"Right, well, we will get either Peter or Kurt- probably Kurt- to take you two girls to the school, maybe ten minutes before your lunch break ends. After that, you only have your one class, right?"

"Yep, CDE. Its double blocked for the exam, but my teacher will probably let me out as soon as I'm done."

"Good. Jean will be with you the entire time, but only you will be able to see her. Don't talk to her, even in your mind. Telepathic communications might make her slip up." Jean and Terri nodded. "Jean, your job is to get yourself and Alterria out if there is an altercation with Styker's men. Once you're done, move to a secure room, maybe a bathroom, or the library, and call us. Kurt will be there to pick you up as soon as we hear from you, whether you are done or need to get out in an emergency. Do you both understand?"

"Yes." Terri said, and Jean agreed.

"Fantastic. Until then, Alterria, you may wait around the property. There is a library on the second floor, I believe Peter has a "secret" game room on the third, or you could even sit in a class if you want?"

Terri smiled, "I'll go to the library, thank you Sir, Jean." She turned to the door, and Jean waved goodbye. "Oh," she stopped, turning back. "Is there a phone on this floor I could use?"

"Yes, just down the hall to the left." The Professor said, smiling. "See you at lunch, Ms. Wellston."

"Bye" And with that, Terri left, and went to call her parents.

* * *

 **AN: well, I had hoped to get this up last weekend, but then life got crazy. I'm behind on grading and I've got a lecture to write and an audition tape to complete. That said, I am going to put chap 5 up Saturday, so ya'll get 2 updates in one weekend. Stay awesome, and please review. H+G leaves awesome reviews, but if you are too shy/ don't have time for much, but you like this story please review with a " :) ". That's all you need to do, but I won't mind more! Now go, be amazing!**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Terri looked up from the book she had been reading, something about a robot in a futuristic resort city in Brazil. Jean was leaning against the library door frame.

"Oh hey." Terri greeted, as she put her book down and stood up from the couch. "Is it lunch time already?" Jean nodded.

"Yep. Well, it's Lunch A, the one I have. You can wait for Lunch B, but we'll have to leave about ten minutes before that ends, so its whatever."

"I can eat now." Terri shrugged, and joined Jean, following her to the Dining Hall. "What's for lunch?"

"Lunches here are usually a choice of 2 or 3 soups, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, and sometimes leftovers from dinner." Jean said. "It's also the only meal that's technically separated. Breakfast has a weird in-and-out flow, and dinner is the whole mansion." Terri nodded. "I think it's a chili day, but I feel more in the mood for a sub." Jean mused out loud, hoping to get Terri talking. If she didn't, there was going to be a lot of awkward silence today. Terri just nodded again. Jean licked her lips, then tried again. "Have you studied for that exam?"

"Oh, yeah. It's going to be a pretty easy one, I think. Child Development and Education isn't terrible, and our teacher is only testing us on the second semester, so I think I'll be fine. I studied in parts this weekend and Monday. I, uh, didn't study last night, but I probably would have crammed and forgotten everything, so that's probably a good thing."

Jean smiled, and felt a lot of embarrassment from the girl next to her. ' _Gosh, how have I could have been so dumb, I completely forgot the test in the stress, and they're doing so much to get me back for it, I'm gonna flunk and it's an easy course, ug'_ Jean listened to all her thoughts and decided that was enough.

"Hey, you can just go over the material after you eat, don't cram anything, you'll do fine." Jean said kindly. Terri smiled.

"Good idea, thanks."

* * *

The Lunch room was chaos. Several groups of students were meandering, pushing, or running around the tables and lines, impatient with the students at the Sandwich and Salad bars who were 'taking forever' making their food. When Jean walked in, the students looked at her, and quieted for a minute. The redhead smiled, and the students reformed orderly, or rather, less chaotic lines for the food. The noise slowly started picking back up again.

"What was that?" Terri asked Jean, waving around the room. "Did you tell them too quiet down, or?"

"Oh, no. They might not be as scared of me as they used to be, but being an older student, and an x-man, gives me a bit of… power, I guess. I've tried to get them to just treat me casually, but," She shrugged. Terri just nodded. She wondered what it must be like to be seen as so far from everyone, and was glad that, as powers go, hers was pretty tame. Then she felt bad for feeling like that. She blinked, trying to clear her mind. Being here seemed to complicate everything.

"You ok?" Jean asked. Terri nodded, and swallowed thickly.

"I think I'll get in line for chicken soup." She moved away. Jean nodded, and went to the sandwich line. Between the stress over her exam, the mutant school, and the fact that she might be attacked _again_ today, she didn't have much of an appetite. On the other hand, she figured facing those things on an empty stomach would make it worse, so she forced herself to get a full bowl, a piece of toast, and some apple slices. She remembered how on the weekend, she would always cut two apples into slices and share them with her brothers and sisters. A green one for Lila and Drew, a red one for Tony and herself. Terri shook her head and quickly sat down, begging herself not to break down over a fruit. She was a super powered person, kind of, and she had escaped an evil villain. Sorta. Ok, maybe that train of thought wasn't too helpful. She decided to distract herself with reviewing her notes, pulling them out of the bag she had grabbed before going to lunch. Ah yes, going over the stages of brain development would help her relax. That thought made her snort, and she heard it echoed behind her. She turned, and saw Jean.

"Uh, sorry. But that was both loud and funny." The redhead apologized as she sat down. Terri nodded, it was fine, just something to get used to. They ate lunch in an odd mix of mostly comfortable silence and some small talk.

* * *

When Lunch A ended, Terri went back to the library to study and try to relax. After about half an hour of that, Jean came back in, flowed by a man Terri dimly remembered being in the basement the day before. He was thin and had glasses, and was carrying a bag. The man offered his hand.

"I'm Dr. Hank McCoy." He said. "Nice to properly meet you, Miss Wellston." Terri shook his hand, feeling a bit apprehensive. Why did she need to meet a doctor?

"Dr. McCoy is one of our teachers, our doctor, and in charge of making all of the X-Men's tech." Jean explained.

"Nice to meet you." Terri said, then looked to the bag he was carrying. He caught her stare, and smiled slightly. He put it on a table, then opened it.

"This," he said as he pulled out a white tank top, "is for you. Its thin, but mostly bullet proof." Terri nodded, taking it. What did he mean, 'mostly'? and why did she need it? Dr. McCoy also pulled out a few small grey squares. "And these are tracking devices, you can stick them on the hem of you clothes, in case something happens and we need to find you."

Terri nodded. "Something bad as in, I get lost and wait at a nice diner where no one plans to hurt me, or as in I get kidnapped by mad scientist bad?"

Hank chuckled awkwardly. "You know; it would be a good thing to have in either case." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I might have been planning more on the later." Jean flashed an apologetic grin at Terri, then put her finger on her temple.

' _Did you have a specific diner you were hoping to wait for us at?_ ' she asked.

' _IHOP is always nice.'_ Terri laughed.

' _Maybe we can stop there afterwards, assuming everything goes right. Are you a pancakes or waffles kind of person? Personally, I find waffles more appealing'_

Terri pretended to think about it. _'I like eating waffles more, but if I have to make it, you're just getting pancakes. So much easier_.' Her thought drifted to other breakfast foods. Cinnamon rolls were wonderful, but her favorite breakfast food was probably the biscuits her mom made. She smiled, thinking about how her very much Texan mom would complain that nowhere in New York could compare to either her drop biscuits or her layered family recipe. 'Just too far north for it.' Her dad would say, smiling.

' _You're_ _from Texas_?' Jean asked. Terri jolted, realizing she must have been projecting all of those thoughts. She would have to work on that then. Jean must have come to the same conclusion, and blanched. _'Sorry.'_

"I-it's okay." Terri muttered. Then she gestured to her hopefully-bullet-proof-enough tank top. "I'd better go change, I'll be right back.

* * *

Terri followed Jean into the second level basement. She smiled, seeing the lab she had freaked out in, though Jean led her to a room across the hall from it. Professor Xavier, Dr. McCoy, and Kurt where sitting around a table, along with a woman she didn't know personally but recognized as Mystique. Terri wanted to shrink away from her gaze, I mean, a mutant legend is sanding _right there_! Or sitting, but whatever. The fact that both Kurt and Jean were in full armor did not help. Her protective tank wasn't very assuring, and she was filling up with doubts faster than Peter fills up on sugar.

' _Don't worry_.' Jean projected to her as she sat next to Kurt, leaving a spot for Terri on her other side. ' _Because we are minors, the professor just is overly cautious. He'd probably make you were one if it didn't bring more attention_.' That didn't help, but Terri thanked her for the effort.

The next twenty minutes were a blur of directions and strategy, though it mainly boiled down to Kurt teleports them in, then leaves, but stays close by in a parking garage, and remains linked on an ear com he and Jean had. Jean stays with her, keeping herself from being seen. After she takes the test, they com Kurt to come and get them from a side hallway. They would get picked up and dropped off at the parking lot, as teleporting two other people the whole distance twice was testing Kurt's abilities. Apparently, after yesterday, teleporting just himself and her all the way back to Xavier's made him crash for three hours, though he woke up before dinner. Terri felt bad about that, and even worse that she hadn't known. Kurt waved her off when she apologized though.

"Terri, its fine. At least you didn't yell at me to teleport a dozen people down into a safe building from a crashing plane, then ask why I passed out there and then." Terri's eyes had gone wide, though Jean laughed, then apologized for the 'umpteen trillionth' time.

"Wow Jean, always so rude." She playfully teased, before Xavier called them back to the point of the meeting.

"Well, if you are ready to go, Mystique will be driving you to the garage, and pick you up when you are done." He said, and the three teens nodded. Terri was surprise, she figured either Kurt or Jean would have drove- but even if a teacher/older x-men were to drive them, she thought McCoy or maybe even Peter would have done it. She thought it would seem rude to ask out loud, so she pushed a question to Jean.

' _Kurt doesn't have any documentation, so no driver's license. I never learned_.' Jean admitted, sounding a bit abashed. ' _Can you drive?_ '

' _I've only got my permit_.' Terri said. She didn't see the professor's small smile at her openness with talking to Jean telepathically. None of the other had been so open with her talent, not even Scott, as they were afraid of her powers. Xavier couldn't blame them, especially given what he knew about things that hopefully wouldn't happen in the future, but he was very glad Terri was under the impression that it was normal to utilize talents in the Mutant School. It was what he had been going for, though he hoped the girls wouldn't start using the gift to have less that nice conversations. He'd rather they kept to keeping people from getting embarrassed than, say, plan to take over the word. Too many people he knew were already trying to do that.

' _Cool._ ' Jean answered, then she opened the conversation to Kurt. ' _You guys ready?_ '

' _As I'll ever be_.'

' _Da, if you are._ '

Jean stood, and the other two followed suit. "We're ready, professor." She spoke out loud, and Xavier smiled.

"I will be watching in Cerebro, like I always do. Good luck on your exam. Mystique?"

Mystique nodded, then left the room; the teens hurried after her.

* * *

*BAMF!* Kurt, Jean, and Terri landed against a row of lockers in a side hallway. Terri looked around as the blue smoke cleared and realized it was the same place she had left from yesterday, though it felt like she hadn't been here in months, maybe years.

"You girls be safe, ok?" Kurt said, looking between Jean and Terri. Jean nodded, and told him to be careful as well, which the other girl adamantly seconded. Kurt took a deep breath, and Terri realized he was still holding her shoulder. She smiled, tapping it, and Kurt hurriedly let go of her, ducking his head. Then he was gone, leaving trails of blue that faded into air. The girl took a deep breath, telling herself everything would be fine and she was not going to get herself or her friends hurt, and turned to Jean- who was smirking.

"What?" Terri asked. Did she think Terri was being dumb with all the worrying? That thought was almost calming, that Jean wasn't nervous of her obvious liability-ness. The telepath dropped the smirk in an instant, then put an innocent smile on.

"Nothing, its nothing." She waved her hand, then changed the subject. "You got a good place to hide for the next…" she checked her watch. "Four minutes?"

"There's a girl's bathroom just down that hall." Terri suggested, and when the telepath nodded, she led the way.

The bathroom was empty, thankfully, and the girls sat down against the wall. Terri flipped through her notebook, pencil tapping against the floor. She looked at Jean, who had closed her eyes. Terri figured she was meditating or something cool and mentally involved. After staring blankly at her notes for a while, she turned to the redhead.

"Are missions always this exciting?" she joked. Jean snorted, and started to chuckle. The sound relaxed Terri, and she leaned her head back. If she could laugh, then she obviously wasn't in too much danger.

The bell rang. Terri jumped slightly, and bumped her head. That sound was not nearly as relaxing, she lamented, as she stood up. Jean gave her another smile but it was tense, fake. The girl decided not to focus on that as she left the bathroom and headed to her classroom. Of course, it was easier said than done, and she spent the first few minutes staring blankly at her test. Breathing heavy, she tried to keep her hands from shaking so she could begin. Eventually, Jean took pity on her and sent a wave of calm over her.

' _Take the test. The Professor is watching in Cerebro now, and Kurt can come pick us up as soon as you need. Now, take the test because we didn't go through all this for you to sit in a desk and do nothing.'_

That seemed to do the trick, and Terri took the test with only as much anxiety as was normal for a final exam. When she stood to turn her paper in, she flashed a smile at Jean, who was sitting on a desk in the back of the room. There was a slight red flicker around her, and her finger was on her temple. She managed to smile back at Terri, then closed her eyes and focused again. Figuring that keeping herself completely invisible was hard enough without distractions, Terri silently doodled in her notebook until the final bell rang.

Terri stood, the dawdled at putting her pencils in her case until the room was mostly empty, and Jean walked over to her.

' _Let's go._ ' The girl said telepathically. Terri want sure if that was easier than out loud for her, but she couldn't be vocal anyway if she was trying to go unnoticed. At least, not in the quiet classroom. Terri nodded, told her teacher goodbye, and then led Jean into the crowded hallway. Once they were a good distance to the pickup place, Jean commed Kurt.

"Be ready. I'll tell you when to pick us up." She muttered, trying to keep closes to Terri. It wouldn't do to have too many people run into her, after all. As it was, all the voices and thoughts were testing her capabilities.

Unfortunately, the side hallway was full of people grabbing bags from lockers and couples kissing and friends signing yearbooks. Panic-stricken, Terri looked to Jean. Kurt couldn't grab them in this mess. Jean thought quickly, searching for an empty space, and she found one upstairs.

' _Second floor_.' She said shortly, before striding back into the throng. Terri nodded, too nervous to ask questions, and quickly ducked around people and snuck into the stairwell behind her. ' _There's a hallway just like the other one, but right above it, right?'_ Jean asked as she scaled the stars two at a time.

"Yeah." Terri agreed, too out of breath to say more.

"Good. Kurt, slight change of plan. There is a hallway above the pickup point, on the second floor. Get us there." Jean spoke crisply as she entered the second floor, slowing to let Terri get in front of her. Thankfully, the students had all wanted to leave school and start their summer, so not many people on the floor, and none in the side area. The only thing was a lot of girls in the bathroom down the hall, but that shouldn't matter.

Terri walked forward, trying to think confident thoughts. The bathroom door opened, and Mari walked out. The short, dark girl had reddish brown hair, and was smiling.

"Oh, hey Terri! Why weren't you at lunch?" she called across the hall when she caught sight of her friend. Terri stopped. Jean ran into her, but didn't say anything, she was reading the girl.

"Oh, I was studying in the Library. Sorry for skipping out on you." Terri apologized, torn between talking to her friend and getting out of there. Jean pushed on her shoulder, and Terri caught the drift. The ginger was not torn and wanted to move now. "I have to get something from, uh, Mr. Edwards. Summer reading. Write me, ok?" she said as she started moving again. She heard Jean mutter as she spoke.

"Now, Kurt."

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Mari asked. "Or I can walk with you?". Terri bit her lip, then smiled.

"Naw, you need to catch the bus. Maybe I come over this weekend though, we could see a movie." She said, trying to get rid of her friend. Mari would not keep quiet if she caught sight of Kurt teleporting her away. She tried to keep walking past Mari, but Jean grabbed her shoulder.

"Oh, Yeah, maybe we could see Trading Places?" Mari suggested.

"Um, sure that sounds good." Terri agreed, sending one emotion as hard as she could to Jean: confusion.

' _What am I doing? What is going on? Why? What's happening? Help!_ '

Mari frowned. "Are you alright?" She took another step as Jean gripped Terri's shoulder, and pulled it back.

"Run! Go!" Jean yelled. Out loud. As she stepped in front of a bewildered Terri. The brunette felt a shove backwards, and ran toward the stairs.

Peeking behind her, she saw jean, glowing red, and floating. Floating. And an army was pouring out of the girls' bathroom. At least a dozen armed soldiers were trying to run at jean, but they ran in place. Terri stopped at the end of the hall, amazed. Then something caught her attention. Kurt was sticking his head around corner on the other end of the hallway. Their eyes met, and Terri felt herself grin in relief. Then he vanished.

Terri's face didn't even have time to fall before her vision was filled with blue smoke. She held her breath, and heard a *Bamf* as the smoke thickened. They reappeared in the side hallway Kurt must have originally been in.

"Stay here." he ordered, and teleported away again. Terri took a deep, shuddering breath. Well, this had gone from 'good' to 'glad I have a bullet proof top' very quickly, and it hadn't even stopped at IHOP.

* * *

 **AN: what what chapter five is up guys! I have literally no idea when I'll update, but next week has a three day weekend, hopefully ill be able get chapter six up then. Keep it up guys, and ill see you in the review section!**

 **Ps. This time, leave a smiley face review OR tell me what your favorite breakfast food is OR tell me what you think of this chapter!**

 **(or do all 3!)**


	6. Chapter 6

Terri dropped to her knees; she crawled to the corner, peeking out. She had to make sure Jean and Kurt were all right. At the other end of the hall way, she saw solders being flung into walls with red light trailing from them. Jean, probably. The others were swiftly being taken down by Kurt who jumped, kicked, spun, and Bamfed around the soldiers, forcing many to the floor. Terri hadn't seen what was so scary about Kurt's mutation until now. He had been an adorable blue guy, with a puppy smile. Now, though, he was flinging multiple people into walls, ripping guns from their grips, and overall being deadly, being dangerous. And that was scary.

Her attention was then dragged to Mari, who was behind one of the armored men rushing Jean. Terri gasped as both were flung against the wall, but Mari wasn't down. She jumped back up and tried to run. Jean pushed her, and she stayed down. That didn't seem fair- the girl was just a student who was in the wrong pla-

Who was changing before Terri's eyes.

Mari's skin lightened and her hair darkened, but had whitish stripes throughout it. But Mari was definitely not a mutant, Terri froze, trying to figure out why her friend was-

Oh.

Of course, Jean had told her there was a mutant who could shapeshift, who had looked like Jubilee yesterday, who wanted to grab Terri for Stryker. A mutant who had apparently impersonated her friend in a second attempt.

Terri's blood ran cold as she realized this. No wonder Jean had gotten so tense. She had known, and was looking for an out. Light, she hoped Mari, the real Mari, was all right. If something had happened to her friend, because of her… she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

"Over there!" she heard one of the soldiers say. A few of the men, near the tail end of the group, were turning and running toward her. Great.

Terri jumped up, and ran, hoping to loop around the hallway. Kurt had apparently noticed as well, and appeared where she had been standing.

"Terri!" he called, and she pivoted, running toward him. The blue mutant grabbed her shoulders and teleported in one motion. He landed right behind Jean.

The redhead turned, and in that moment several of Stryker's, well, presumably Stryker's men unfroze, leaping toward them.

"NOW!" a voice screamed, and Terri didn't know if it was Jean or Kurt who yelled, or maybe even Jean had projected the thought. Heck, she might have screamed along with it.

The world was filled with blue smog, and the ringing sound of several gunshots.

* * *

Gunshots do not echo, but there is an odd resonation in your ear, or maybe your chest, when it falls silent. As if the lack of echo is louder that it's presence would be. Terri had never been shot at before, nor had that anti-echo been so startling.

The three teens crashed onto a cement floor, coughing and screaming. Well, that's not accurate. Jean was screaming. Terri was coughing and crying and just generally struggling. Kurt was silently leaning against the car, having landed under the two girls.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked. Feminine, and concerned, but edged with steel. Terri blinked the tears out of her eyes, and saw Mystique standing over them, hands on hips and lips pursed. The brown haired girl rolled off the other two, and noticed Jean had stopped screaming.

"They had guns." Terri explained as she stood, leaning on the car. "a lot of them. They sounded weird, like they should have had echoes, but they didn't." she was babbling, she realized. "I mean, they normally don't have echoes, but these seemed even softer." Stop talking, she told herself. "The bullets weren't any softer though." she sighed. Ok, she needed to shut up, now. Her mind and Mystique's face agreed. The blue mutant looked even more annoyed. "Sorry." Terri apologized. The shapeshifter didn't reply, just silently turned to Kurt.

"Can you stand?" The woman asked him, looking more worried about him than the girls. Probably because he's so cute, thought Terri. Unfairly adorable, that's what it is. Makes women want to protect him, like a baby or a kitten or a confused hot foreign exchange student. She wondered if being blue was also a factor.

Kurt nodded, and slowly pushed himself up next to Terri. All eyes turned to Jean, who was lying on the floor, shaking slightly.

"Jean?" Terri whispered. Both blue mutants shushed her gently- well, Mystique glared at her- but Kurt put a hand on her shoulder. After maybe half a minute, Jean sighed, her eyes opening slowly.

"I'm alright." The telepath assured them, taking Mystiques hand to help her up.

"What's that?" Terri asked.

"Just Jean getting her mind settled, it's alright." Kurt murmured.

"No, I mean, what is that?" Terri repeated, pointing to something sticking out of her friend's shoulder pad. Kurt frown, pulling out a dart. It hadn't gone all the way through the armor, thankfully.

"Oh, the bullets were softer." She giggled, running her hand along the feather end.

"She's in shock." Mystique cursed. She scanned Terri quickly for injuries, and removed one dart from the weave of her shirt. Thank you McCoy for a bullet/dart proof tank top. Then she moved on to Kurt, who had four other darts on his chest and legs. Jean pulled one out of her back, and two from her shin. Thank you McCoy for entire suits made of bulletproof material, Terri added in her head.

Kurt helped Terri into the back seat of the car, and Jean took shotgun. Mystique asked a few more quick questions about the fight, but Terri missed them as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Someone was nudging her shoulder. Terri blinked her eyes open, and looked up. A blue blur slowly cleared, and she saw Kurt looking down at her.

"We are back at the school." He said. Terri nodded, and sat up. With a start of embarrassment, she realized she had fallen asleep on Kurt's shoulder. Blushing Terri quickly got out of the car, and joined Jean walking up the stairs. Kurt followed.

"Um, sorry for falling asleep on you." Terri apologized. Kurt laughed, and she almost tripped on a step.

"It's alright, I dozed off during the ride too." He said, and Terri nodded, but she still felt bad. Jean and Kurt were tired because of using their powers so much. Terri had barely even run a few yards, but she conked out due to shock. Right.

Jean smirked.

' _What?_ ' She thought to the telepath.

' _Oh, nothing_.' Jean replied.

Terri was about to send something scathing back, once she thought of something at least, when Mystique, already standing by the door, made a very impatient noise. Instead, the three teens double timed it up the stairs and inside the mansion.

* * *

Standing in the elevator, the four mutants were quiet, until Kurt gasped.

"Terri! You are bleeding!" The boy exclaimed, taking the two steps toward her.

"What? Where?" Terri panicked. Kurt placed a finger on her right shoulder.

"It does not look bad, just a scratch." Jean said, examining the smear of red on Terri's neck. "It's not even bleeding anymore, don't worry."

Mystique hummed noncommittally. "I'm more worried about what scratched her. The dart didn't stick, but you still might have gotten a bit of, well, whatever it was filled with in your system. Ha- Doctor McCoy will look you over to make sure there are no lasting effects."

Terri nodded, and realized Kurt- and the others- were still standing very close to her. She shifted on her feet, and the doors slid open with a _ding!_. She followed Jean and Mystique out, Kurt staying right behind her.

Professor Xavier and Doctor McCoy were waiting for them in the conference room. The doctor immediately jumped up when they walked in, assessing Kurt and Terri for wounds. He wiped her scratch with a swab, then put a band aid on it. Without a pause, he pulled out a pen light, and checked their pupils. Then her looked over Kurt's face, making notes of bruises.

Jean strode over the professor, and they discussed in low whispers and closed thoughts how she had used her powers, and any signs of the Phoenix's emergence.

Mystique stood like a guard at the door. Silent, arms crossed, and watching everything.

When everything had been checked over, everyone sat for the debriefing.

"Well, how do you think you did on your test?" the Prof asked Terri, who almost laughed at the ordinariness of the question.

"Um, I think I did pretty well. It seemed easy enough." She managed, shrugging. It had certainly been easier than what had come after.

"Good." The Professor smiled. Terri supposed that even as a leader of a covert band of young superheroes, he was still a teacher. "All right, Kurt? You managed to teleport to a place you had not been, knowing that is was approximately 10 feet above a previous teleport sight was?"

"Ja, I was." Kurt smiled, but trying to remain humble. "We were just lucky the hallways lined up so evenly though. And, I thought the ceilings might be a little high, so… I did port about a foot above the ground."

"Well, that's understandable." Xavier shrugged. "And, preferable to you landing _in_ the floor. You weren't too tired after all the porting.?"

"Tired, yes." Kurt corrected. "But I did not pass out, only dozed off for a minute or two once we were in the car."

The Debriefing went on like that for a while, The Professor and the Doctor checking to make sure that the comms worked, and nothing got through the suits and that Jean kept up her invisibility trick the whole time. Terri wondered how much they knew from watching them in Cerebro, and how much they were not sure about. Then McCoy took the bag of darts Mystique had pulled from the suits, the swab of Terri's blood, and left for the lab.

"I will call you back down if there is anything left from the dart I can find." Doctor McCoy told Terri. "and you two, leave your suits in my lab, I want to double check for any faults or holes." he told Kurt and Jean. The kids murmured their assent, then went upstairs to crash on the couches in the nearest common room.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry this chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but I think it is a good wrap-up to Part One. Anyway, I really need to finish my lecture, and get a couple of worms. this time for reviews, tell me:**

 **-what you like about this story or what you would change**

 **-a simple happy face if you just like this story " :) "**

 **\- the weirdest thing you had to do for a school project. (Mine is definitely getting a worm at a worm farm.)**

 **Again, thanks to all my fabulous readers, I love you all and hope you have good weekend.**


	7. Chapter 7

The couches were soft, and the three teens each collapsed on one. Terri looked up at the ceiling fan, which drifted lazily in circles. It was calming, and she was tired; though probably not as tired as the other two. That thought jabbed at her like one of those darts. Jean was out, all the work of keeping multiple shots from alerting students, keeping the men down, but Jean had done harder stuff before, if Jubilee's stories were true. But Kurt had attempted a port without knowing where he was going, that did seem exhausting. Of all three of them though, Terri shouldn't feel this tired.

She contemplated this as she turned slightly. The arm rest turned pillow slid across the band-aid on her neck. Oh. Perhaps she was having effects from the scrape. Maybe she could sleep it off? But then she remembered when her little brother Drew had gotten a concussion. Mom said he couldn't sleep, it could cause internal bleeding. What if the dart was like that? A poison that would spread faster in her sleep? She wasn't sure what to do. Panic was keeping her awake, her body wanted to sleep, and she didn't know which would work better. It was an equation with too many variables, she couldn't work it out.

Terri looked over to the other two, and saw that Jean was asleep, but looking troubled. Red flares surrounded her. Kurt also looked slightly concerned. He turned to Terri.

"Would you like some M&Ms? " he asked in an overly cheery tone, gesturing to a bowl on the coffee table between the couches.

Confused, Terri nodded, and reached to take a handful. She looked over at Jean, and saw that the red was gone. Ah, she realized. It must be a telepath thing; she was reacting to Terri's confusion. The made her feel guilty, but she quashed the feeling-it would only hurt Jean more.

The bowl of M&Ms was too far to reach, and as Terri sat up to grab it, Kurt stopped her.

"I've got it." His tail wound over his body and wrapped around the bowl, lifting it over to her.

"Thanks." She said, taking a few candies. Kurt moved the bowl back, keeping a few M&Ms for himself.

This was nice, Terri thought as she munched quietly on the bright chocolates. Sweets and nap time was better than her old school, even when not being attacked by dart gun wielding maniacs. She sighed happily, curling back into the cushions, enjoying the silent companionship.

Of course, this being Xavier's, it was not long lasting.

* * *

"Terri. Terri. Terri. Terri." A voice chanted. Annoyed, Terri opened he lr eyes, to see a smiling silver speedster leaning over her, grinning in that was her brothers often did. Of course, Peter was not her brother, so she reacted in a slightly different way. She yelped, and swung her fist.  
Luckily for Peter, she was too slow. He stood, ate an M&M, then turned back to Terri to catch her fist.  
"You really shouldn't do that." He advised, popping another candy in his mouth.

"Hi Peter." Terri deadpanned. "How are you? I'm fine, until someone woke me up, that is."  
She heard chuckling behind her, turning to see Kurt sitting up.

"Hallo, Peter". Kurt said.

"Heya. Did you see? Terri just tried to kill me. Very different from you, I may add." He turned to Terri. "He screamed when I woke him up, then bamfed away." He explained.

"Ah." Terri had been reasoning that this was all a poison-induced hallucination, but she remembered Jubilee telling her of the onetime Peter had wanted to go on a run with Kurt, not taking into account that it was 1 o'clock in the morning. Kurt landed on the roof, then realized what happened, and went back to yell at peter. The alarm had gone off; many students (and a few teachers) had panicked. Peter had been told in no uncertain terms not to do it again.

"Peter, did you have a point you were going to get to, or is something on fire? Or did Magneto turn evil again? Because there are only so many acceptable reasons to (1) watch me while I sleep, and (2) wake me up." Terri said. She had been enjoying that nap.

"Um…" Peter looked off, thinking. "Yes! I did."

Terri raised her eyebrows, and gestured for him to continue.

"Can I have an M&M?" He asked, popping one into his mouth.

"Well, I can't stop you." Terri sighed. "Now what did you want?"

"I just told you, an M&M." Peter was now holding the entire bowl, and seemed to be eating all the red ones.

Terri's expression was not one of being impressed.

"Sorry." The speedster said in a fake hurt voice. "I'll leave you and Kurt to dreaming of each other. Terri spluttered and the blue boy choked. "It's true." He continued, grin widening. "You were smiling at each other in your sleep, would have been cuddling if you weren't on separate sofas."

Terri and Kurt continued to protest, embarrassed, but Peter was beyond stopping.

"Really, I'll take my M&Ms and go. Oh, I came to warn you that the classes are over now, so it's likely you are all about to be swarmed by little mutants. And a squealing jubilee."

There was a blur of silver, and he was gone. Terri looked to the German mutant.

"What about Jubilee?" she asked. Kurt shrugged, the moved to stand. Suddenly, another blur caught her eye, and she turned to where peter had vanished to. Well, until she blinked, and realized she wasn't on a couch anymore.

Actually, that is not accurate. She was on a couch, just not the one she had napped on. She found herself sitting on the next couch over, legs over Kurt's lap, and wrapping her arms around his.

"What?" two voices cried, one higher pitched and the other in an accent. Brown eyes met yellow ones, and both Terri and Kurt leapt back. Well, as much as they could on the couch. Her arms flew back, and his tail unwrapped around her waist-when had that gotten there?- and both tried to apologize at the same time.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry Kurt, I don't know how-"

" _Es tut mir leid_! Oh, I am so sorry, _bitte_ , I-"

A shriek stopped both of them, and they looked up in horror.

* * *

Jubilee had been making her way to dump her school stuff in her room before seeing how Terri had don, when Peter materialized in front of her.

"JuJu! You've got to come quick, its Terri and Kurt!"

"What?" The bubbly mutant almost dropped her book. "Are they ok? What's going on?"

Peter grinned. "You've got to see; they are so into each other."

"I know. Wait, what are they-" Jubilee began to realize what peter was saying.

"I'll show you!" the boy exclaimed, before gently holding on to his friend's neck and running her to the common lounge. When she saw the two awkward mutants (and a third waking up confused on her own couch, to be fair to Jean) in a slightly compromising position, she screamed.

Terri immediately looked to her friend, preparing for the worst- perhaps some men had followed them back? But she hadn't heard any alarms…. The, with a thought that renewed the blush in her cheeks, the jumped to stand, to tell Jubilee that this was not what it looked like.

Unfortunately, she did not do this very gracefully, and Kurt naturally jolted forward to catch her. So, it kind of was what it looked like. Just a little bit.

"You two are so cute!" the yellow-clad girl jumped up and down with each word. "I knew it from the start! Last night you two were sneaking glances, and-"

By this point, Teri and Kurt had managed to get untangled, and they were united in an indignant anger towards Peter. The light manipulator stood, walked toward Jubilee, and motioned for her to be quiet.

"Jubes, please do not freak out, this was all peter, he put us like that then went to get you, I don't know why, but-"

The girl with pigtails snorted. "Yeah, you can't use that excuse, it's what Jean and Scott said when the Prof and Peter found them in-"

Jean, now fully awake, interrupted. "To be fair, that was Peter!"

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Suuuuuure, Jean, sure."

The telepath stood. "If you will all excuse me, I am going to my room to get a quiet place to sleep." She said, surprisingly dignified for how red she was turning- though to be fair, it seemed to be half embarrassed, half angry.

Jean left, and Terri followed her out, grabbing Jubilee as she went, and leaving the two boys alone. Kurt waited a moment for the girls to get out of earshot, then bamefed up behind peter.

" _Du gottloses, schreckliches Weichei_ _!"_ He hissed, glaring at the taller boy. Peter laughed and ran to the other side of the room, quickly remembering, to his chagrin, that Kurt was the one mutant who could keep up with him. He ran in zigzag patterns, grabbed the bowl of M&Ms (he was distracted. And hungry), and tried to reason with his friend.

"ImSorryImSorryIllGiveYouAllTheM&MsPleaseDontHurtMeYouKnowMyDadWouldKillYouAndThenYouAndTerriWouldNeverNameYourKidAfterMePleaseDontHurtMeIAmSoSorryKurtReallyButYouSHouldHaveSeenTheLookOnYourFaceIMeanIMeanIShouldntHaveSaidThatHelp!" he cried in a rush as he darted over tables and around chairs.

Kurt was yelling at him in a mix of languages, and while Peter didn't know what he was saying, he knew it was bad.

At least until Ororo showed up.

"Silver? Crawler?" She asked, stopping both boys in their tracks. "Jean seems to be upset, and I was with Scott. What did you- Are those my M&Ms!?" she cut of angrily, processing what Peter was holding.

"Bye." Peter said, blurring into his super-super speed. He was only supposed to use this for emergencies, it tended to cause sonic booms, but this qualified. He but the almost empty bowl of candy in Kurt's arms, then ran home to hide in his mother's basement.

A second later, Kurt realized he was now in danger. "It was all Peter's fault." He tried to explain, setting the bowl on the nearest table. "See you later." He teleported away.

The Egyptian mutant sighed. She remembered when she was a young teen, traveling from village to village, being worshiped as a goddess. She remembered being the up and coming leader of a thieves' guild in Cairo. She remembered saving a dark, handsome prince, who promised to marry her before she ran away. She had given all that up, for this?

Well, she knew several young mutants who would be willing to share their candy in exchange for a couple of stories. She shrugged, grabbed the bowl, and walked out.

* * *

 ***** _Es tut mir leid_ **\- I am sorry**

 ***** _bitte_ **\- please**

 ***** _Du gottloses, schreckliches Weichei_ **\- Godless, terrible coward (thanks to Inavia for the correction.)**

 **AN: Hey guys, guess who isn't dead? I'm sorry about the infrequent updating, it took longer than expected to map out the second arc, and I got super buys with school. anyway, how have you guys been? any interesting thing happen irl? is there something I need to fix? I had to use google translate for the German bits(I'm trying to learn German but I'm very bad at conjugation), so feel free to give me advice there! Please leave a review, tell me what you think, maybe just a smiley face, a question or plot whole you noticed, and I will see you guys soon!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The Prof had asked Terri to drop by his office on Friday, they hadn't had a good chance to truly look at her mutation yet, and Thursday he had to finish filing all the school reports and get them sent out.

It was nice to sleep in, Terri thought on Thursday as she stirred awake around 8:30. She stitched, admiring the warm bed and the view from the window. She didn't appreciate Xavier's School enough, she decided.

Then she remembered, in rapid succession, what it actually meant to be at Xavier's school, and that several dozens of mutants who all ate a lot of food AND Peter went here, and she had no idea when breakfast was today.

Well, that was short lived. Terri rolled out of bed, deciding to appreciate later and get food now.

The cafeteria was a sluggish sort of chaos; Kids drifted around tables, grabbing cereal boxes from each other and forming half lines around food stations. Apparently, breakfast on day without class or activity was kind of run like lunch: there was a cereal station, a table covered in toasters with loaves of bread, toppings and boxes of different pastries. There was also a counter with fruit and oatmeal. After weighing her options, Terri decided the toaster table was the closest, and went to stand by that table.

There were boxes of pop-tarts and eggos. Terri looked for Brown Sugar Cinnamon, but it seemed only the 'healthy' fruit flavors were available. She grabbed a couple of eggos instead, and waited for the next toaster to be open. Oh, they had blueberry syrup… and there were bananas on the other counter… yum.

Scanning the room again, she saw Jean and Scott sitting together, no sign of any of her other friends, so she decided to sit next to the redhead.

"Morning" she greeted as she sat, tucking into her food. Scott grunted in reply. Jean rolled her eyes.

"Hey Terri. Don't mind Scott, he's not a morning person."

"It is before noon, J. no one should be up before noon when there isn't school!" the boy complained

"If you hadn't stayed up all night with Peter and Kurt, you wouldn't be so tired." His girlfriend pointed out, smirking as she took a bite of her oatmeal.

"Peter can't sleep for more than like 15 minutes, and Kurt crashed so early after his mission, he wasn't tired last night! I was being a good friend and keeping them company!" Scott said, tragically trying to explain himself.

Neither girls dignified that with a response- at least not a verbal one. Jean might have sent a 'poooor baby' thought at him, based on Scott's reaction, but Terri wasn't positive.

Scott pouted, stirring his bowl of fruit loops in an impressively passive-aggressive manner. Terri didn't know one could put so much angry sass in a such a simple action. She started to laugh, and jean joined in.

The boy across them was (1) more offended, and (2) now out to get revenge from Terri as well as Jean. Knowing his girlfriend was far stronger than him though, he wisely targeted the other girl instead.

"Laugh it up, I heard you weren't laughing when Peter caught you and Kurt… well, _you know_ , yesterday." His tone made Terri blush, rivaling the boy's glasses.

"Um…" The brunette spluttered, sending pleading thoughts toward Jean, who helpfully sent her something to say back:

"Well, if what I heard was right, it wasn't anything compared to what Peter caught you and Jean doing…"

"Hey, I can't help it if the dude is jealous of my skills." Scott shrugged. Jean grinned, and described the truth to Terri- telepathically, of course.

"Yes, you were so smooth when you were apologizing to the Prof, asking him to not expel you because, as you put it, you had not corrupted his pet telepath project, and that Peter was clearly working for his father to get Jean to fall for _him,_ ruining Xavier's once and for all." The brown hair girl scoffed, after a pause.

Scott looked at Terri, and she got the gist that he was narrowing his eyes. "You weren't here yet when that happened." He muttered, before turning to his girlfriend. "You're helping her! That's not cool, Jeanie! I'm hurt, I really am!" he declared in mock anger.

Jean raised one eyebrow. "Tragic." She deadpanned.

Peter found them ten minutes later, laughing like maniacs. Scott was almost on the floor, and Jean had spilled her oatmeal when she accidentally hit it trying to subdue a near-tears Terri.

"What's so funny dudes?" he asked, before helping himself to Terri's waffles, then Scott's cereal.

"Scott." Jean managed to wheeze, before falling into another gale of giggles.

Peter looked at the boy, then back at Jean. "I mean, he's not that ugly." He 'defended' his friend. This of course fueled the fire, and Terri and Jean where down for another few minutes. Scott, on the other hand, groaned as he sat up.

"Bro, not cool." He frowned at the empty bowl in Peter's hands. The speedster grinned, before blurring off and returning, carrying two full bowls. He handed one to Scott, before sitting down next to him.

Terri groaned as she offered a hand to Jean and the two girls helped each other up. Terri noticed the missing waffle immediately.

"Peter…" she said glaring at him. The speedster looked up and grinned innocently.

"Yes, Terri Anne?"

Where did he get that name from? Terri wondered. "Would you go get me a cinnamon muffin? I'm still hungry, and my other waffle seems to have disappeared." She asked, her voice dripping with sweetness. Peter sighed, and stood up slowly- well, slowly for him, it looked a normal speed to the others.

"I suppose… Oh no, I think Kurt just grabbed the last one… Oh well." The speedster moved to sit down, then jumped back. Jean must have shocked him. "Fine, hold on." Peter vanished in a blur. Terri waited a moment for him to reappear, but he didn't. She would have puzzled this out more, but then Kurt came up to the table.

"Morning." He smiled, sitting next to Scott. The others greeted him, then the blue boy asked "Where did Peter go off too? He was here earlier, I thought."

"He was here, but when I demanded he provide compensation for stealing my waffle, he sped off." Terri shrugged. Kurt thought about this, and nodded.

"Good, many people just let him do whatever and laugh. You might even teach him responsibility!" he joked, and the others chuckled. Scott dramatically held his heart.

"No, not responsibility! Terri, you monster, you have ruined my pupil!" he cried, and Jean rolled her eyes.

"What did Terri do to Kurt?" Peter asked, having just materialized behind them. He placed a box of varied donuts on the table. The teens looked at him in confusion. "All I heard was that Terri ruined Scott's pupil." He prompted.

"Ah," Jean said in understanding. "Your interpretation actually makes more sense than what Scott meant. Of course, that happens often, he is a doofus after all." Scott mocked hurt, then smiled, shaking his head. Terri reached for a donut, but Jean swatted her hand away.

"Hey! What was that for?" she asked the telepath, who merely looked at Peter.

"Did you pay for these?" she asked.

"Yes!" Peter said indignantly. "Besides, the Proff would be very mad if I stole again, and when the Proff gets mad, Jean gets a headache. Then she acts mean to Scott, who comes to lick his wounds with me. That damages my rep. Thus, it benefits me to pay for things."

"Sounds good to me." Scott shrugged, reaching for a cake donut. Terri followed suit, grabbing a chocolate one. Kurt picked one with sprinkles.

Jean was not yet sure. "Whose money did you use to pay for it, Peter?" Terri and Kurt paused mid-bite. Probably should have thought of that, Terri sighed to herself. Peter just smiled, and grabbed several donuts. Jean tried to hold his gaze for a few more seconds, but sighed and gave up, reaching for a glazed pastry.

Later, Terri would ask Jean why she hadn't just looked into his mind. Jean would smile wryly, then explain that reading Peter was near-impossible. He thought too fast. "He has too. He is running at about Mach 100,000, and he must think to dodge obstacles. I can get a general read of his emotions, but not much beyond that.

* * *

Friday morning, Terri was nervous. Happy, but nervous. Yesterday had been fun; her friends had walked her around the Mansion and grounds, showing her their favorite hangout spots. She had also gotten to talk to Kurt when Jean and Scott went off to do something, no one asked, and Jubilee dragged Peter off to help her figure out an arcade game. They ended up talking on a couch for over an hour about their families and interests- they both like books, though Kurt preferred classics and Terri modern sci-fi stories. If either had brought up romances, they would have found another common interests, but both were embarrassed and simply said they preferred happier endings.

"I mean, sometimes tragedies are great, and you can get some good insight from them, but I tend to read happier stuff more." Terri had said, after saying that The Great Gatsby just hadn't felt profound to her. "So many just get super repetitive. Money corrupts love, America and the World are getting worse… We already know that, why not give us an inspiring tale of what good we can do?"

Kurt had laughed. "I know, I think that's why you and I like Star Wars so much. Though, some more traditional fairy stories are always good around the campfire."

But now it was Friday, and Terri would be meeting to have her first meeting with the Prof about her power. She had no idea what to expect, her friends had all given very different accounts. Jean had started when she was twelve and had studied with the prof almost daily since. Jubilee and taken a few medical tests and a few lessons on how to aim and control the size of her fireworks. She was in charge of practicing on her own now. Scott had been given some glasses and destroyed a tree, and Kurt's first day with the X-crew had been spent stopping Apocalypse. Peter didn't need much training, per say, and he wouldn't tell them how he first met the Prof, but he had laughed and mentioned something about "Playing Jailbreak." Not altogether helpful.

Terri had been almost too nervous to eat, but Jean and Jubes had put their feet down and loader her plate with muffins, eggs, and apple slices. Her appetite and returned under the threat of force, but she was glad to have a cinnamon muffin today, it was really good. By the time it was time for her to make her way to the basement, her stomach had settled- until a flurry of butterflies came back because Kurt had smiled at her and wished her luck, the tips of his fangs flashing and his eyes genuinely happy. Terri knew that shouldn't have done that, he hadn't been flirting or anything, but…

But nothing, Terri shook her head as she entered the elevator. The Prof probably read enough hormonal teenage thoughts, so she needed to focus on the matter at hand. It would help if she knew what that was, of course, so instead she simply worked on calming herself down.

"It's like a test at school." She muttered to herself. "Not even, more like a pre-test, and you don't light up like a Christmas tree worrying about those." The doors opens, and she stepped out to see Dr. McCoy waiting in a lab for her.

"Hello Terri." He said, standing. "Professor Xavier will be here soon, but first I need to get a basic medical file on you." He waved her to a seat, the picked up a pencil and a clipboard. "You don't need glasses or contacts, right?"

"Nope."

"Do you have asthma?"

"Nope."

"Scoliosis?"

"What's that?"

"It means your back curves in some unusual or unhealthy way. You look fine to me."

And so, on it continued. Terri wasn't sure when Prof Xavier got there, but when the doctor finished with the medical history, he asked "Is that all you need then, Hank?"

"For now, yes. We'll probably take a standard blood test later though." Hank shrugged, setting aside his papers. Terri winced at the thought, but didn't say anything. The Prof gave her a reassuring smile, then turned his chair. "Well then, let's go to the training room."

* * *

There was a row of fruit on the table. An apple, and orange, a lemon, and a lime sat in a row on the table in front of Terri. She wondered if they were a snack. She wasn't hungry right now, but maybe training would be draining?

"They weren't planed as a snack, but I suppose they could be afterwards." Prof Xavier answered as he wheeled up to the table, gesturing for her to sit. Right. Telepath. She should stop forgetting that was a thing a Xavier's. An omnipresent, why do half of these people seem to be tele powered thing. The Prof chuckled.

"It does take some time to truly get used to it. Now, do you know how your power works?"

She shrugged. "Kind of. I make things glow when I want them too. I used to start glowing myself if I freaked out, but I've got a grip on it now. mostly. It has something to do with my mutation, I'm like a human firefly."

"Well, yes and no. Your human firefly theory could account for when you glow, but I think something else is happening when you make other things light up." Xavier picked up the apple. "Do you know how light waves work?"

"I learned about them in physics this year." Terri nodded. "We covered the whole EM Spectrum. We can only see light when it vibrates at a certain wavelength, right?"

"Yes. Energy moves in waves, and we see some lengths as light and feel some lengths as heat and don't perceive others at all. You are familiar with how White Light is composed of all colors?"

"Yeah, like the Pink Floyd shirt Peter wore the other day." Terri smiled at the silly comparison, but it really was a great illustration. The Prof found it funny too, and smiled as well.

"Right. Well, what we perceive as color is a certain wavelength bouncing off an object, while all the colors it is not are observed. So, this apple," He handed it to her, "Is reflecting red light, and absorbing every other color." Well, that explained the fruit. "I want you to try to sense all the colors of light that are bouncing around in this room."

"What?" _All_ the colored light in the room? Granted, this was a smaller training room and half of I was blocked off, but still… But she had to figure out her glow bug act, and she would be lying if she said we wasn't curious now to see how it actually worked. So Terri took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She imagined little bursts of whit jumping from the lightbulb and hitting the apple. She imagined a red burst bouncing off it. She raised her hand, reaching up to the ceiling, and then, she felt it. It was like a mix between sound and heat. She felt it emitting from the lightbulbs. Carefully, very carefully, she followed a stream downward, to the fruit in her hands. she felt the apple grow almost heavier as I took in most of the energy. But she also felt it emit the red. Red was different than the soft white, a high-ish pitched hum compared to a layered chorus melody.

Terri grew excited, and tried to feel more of the energy that trailed around her. That turned out to be a mistake. In room, there was a chaos of energy bouncing in every different direction, the harmony of the white light turned into a crazed scream of every wave trying to be louder and faster than the others. Light always travels at light speed, so it was futile, but the cacophony hurt Terri and she shouted, opening her eyes. She felt the Prof's hand on her shoulder, and she blinked a few times, getting her vison back into focus. The apple lay on the table, forgotten.

"Are you alright, Terri?" Prof Xavier asked, concerned.

"Fine. I didn't expect it all to be so chaotic, the individual stream was peaceful." Terri explained, grabbing the glass of water and sipping from it.

"I apologize, that was a bit much to ask for the first time, though I am quite amazed you picked it up so fast. Of course, you are the first mutant I have seen with specifically EM light powers."

"I'm the first light based mutant?" Terri was confused. "But I thought you knew what you were doing!"

The Prof laughed, then apologized. "I know a lot about the x-mutation in itself, but I have to study every single person's effect separately, there are no two alike. Though…" he trailed off, trying to remember. "I have had 'Human Fireflies', as you put it, before. There are also mutants who can create fire or a glowing force, but not pure light in itself. Angelica Jones, your roommate, can emit microwaves, though heat is a far simpler type of EM Energy."

She took a moment to consider that. "So, how do I do it then? Feel the light differently?" It had felt a bit like straining her whole body, every cell trying to track the specific wave following the motion's song.

"Well, many different animals sense different parts of the EM Spectrum differently. Some Snakes can see or smell heat, and there are butterflies that sense UV Radiation. As for how specifically you do it, we would have to get some BioTests done to try to discover that. Is feeling the light waves at all like making light, for you?" The Professor asked, looking thoughtful. Terri considered it.

"Well, when I make light, it feels like I'm drawing in power, imagining what I want, then pushing the light to where it needs to start." She said slowly, trying to put it into words. She slowly made her fingers pulse with light.

Xavier hummed. "Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, so you must be transforming some other energy into light. Probably bioelectricity that your body creates while metabolizing food." A full third of those words did not make sense to Terri, but she thought she got the general gist.

"Cool."

The prof chuckled. "It is pretty cool, yes."

Terri sat there for a few minutes, slowing her fingers' light pulse to a steady glow. "I wonder…" she mused. "Can you turn off the lights in this room?"

He looked at her, then shrugged. "Of course."

In the darkness, Terri slowly exhaled, feeling for the light like she had earlier. Nothing, or rather, next to nothing. From the slit under the door, she could sense a trail or waves that dissipated over everything in the room, like the barest layer of dust. Then, she raised he hands, and made a point of light between them.

It was the smallest light she had ever made, but that was the point: She wanted to look at the finer details. She slowly made it brighter, watching the intensity of the waves increase. Then she reversed it, trying to get used to the odd way it seemed to bounce off or stick to each individual molecule in its path. The song of the wave, if she could call the sense of the moments in her skin a song, was a constant pitch. The length of that color, she realized. The length of a wave of white light. She might have held that light for minutes or hours, she couldn't tell. She was trying to gather her courage then, she imagined the song getting lower in pitch rather than volume. Slowly, almost imperceptible, the white richened to a crème, then a yellow. Terri bit back a laugh, and concentrated as much as she could. Brow furrowed, she watched as the yellow became orange. A bit more she thought against the whining of her body. Finally, the color sunk into a red that matched the apple. She sighed, victorious, and the light instantly vanished.

"That was beautiful," the Prof told her, amazed, as he clicked the lights back on. "but are you all right?"

Terri blinked, trying to focus on him. Now that she had noticed the flow of the light, it was hard to turn that sense off. After a few seconds, she managed.

"I'm fine, thank you." She attempted to stand up, but swayed.

"I don't think you are." He noted wryly, then called for Dr. McCoy. "Could you help Terri up to the commons? And I want her to drink lots of juice, she probably drained a lot of energy doing that!"

* * *

Fifteen minute later, Teri didn't remember taking the elevator or walking to the couch, but she must have, she mused as she sipped her box of apple juice.

"How'd it go!" Jubilee screamed behind her. Terri turned, shrieked, and dropped her juice box all at the same time. The end result? She was now sitting on the floor, a spilled box no longer filled with juice across the sitting area, and Jubilee was laughing at her. Kurt ported in behind the girl in the yellow jacket, confused.

"Is everything okay?" he asked, moving to help Terri up. She thanked him and sat back down.

"Everything's good, I'm just tired. Then jubilee was being mean. then you showed up. And here we are." Terri explained, taking the empty box from Jubilee, who tried-and failed- to look sheepish

"Sorry." She said, then asked "What's with all the juice?" Jubilee pointed to the small mound of different juice boxes next to Terri.

"Ah, well, the Professor told Dr. McCoy to make sure I got my energy back up. Peter… decided to help. Want one?"

Jubilee grabbed a Cherry Grape and Kurt picked a Fruit Punch. When they were all settled, Terri indulged them in the story of her first training, and refrained -with great difficulty- from giving a demonstration of the different colors.

* * *

 **AN: well that was fun. we get friendship! Cuteness! An actual explanation of Terri's powers! My love for Apple Juice!**

 **(also, yes, I know ive been gone forever, I'm sorry, I was working then traveling then getting lost in Pennsylvania... sorry.)**

 **(also I really like apple juice)**


	9. Chapter 9

Chap 9

"I wish I could have come and seen you guys today." Terri said into the phone.

"I know honey, but if those awful men were going to attack your school, they'll be watching for you to come home too." Her mom said sadly.

"Yeah, but it still sucks." Terri pouted, before beginning to twist the phone cord around her finger. "You guys are safe, right? What if they attack even if I don't come and see you?"

"With these three nice boys staying here with us, I'm sure we will be perfectly fine." After the attack on the school, Xavier had sent another mutant to protect her family- just in case.

"How are they getting on?" Terri asked, knowing three people in the sing guest room bed would not be comfortable.

"Well, when Summers and Julen arrived, we moved Lila to the guest room, so they could take the bunk bed in y'alls room. Now that Walters is here too, we gave him the cot, put it in the room with the others. But then Summers took it, said something about being more used to it- did you know he was military?- and oh, Drew just adores Julen, he sees him as an absolute hero. Tony is a bit more shy, and I think Lila doesn't know what to make of them, though I think she might just be nervous about you."

"Oh, poor Lila." The girl murmured, feeling sick for worrying her family so much. "Can I talk to her?"

"Of course dear. Lila! Come here, your sister is on the phone!" there was a distinct clamor as Terri heard running feet, and Drew loudly asking why she got to talk to her first. Then, silence as she imagined her mother sending the boy a sharp look.

"Hello?" Lila's voice said quietly. "Terri?"

"Hey sis." She murmured, leaning against the wall. "How's it going? Sorry to leave you with all those guys."

Lila giggled nervously. "Ye-yeah. It's been ok. I miss you a lot though."

"I miss you too. Have you been helping Mom?"

"Of course. Um…" The younger girl trailed off, sounding like she wanted to ask something.

"Do you want to know more about the school I'm staying at?" Terri guessed. Apparently, she guessed wrong. Lila burst into tears.

"No! I just…. I ju-just want to kno-now when you'll be ba-ack!" She wailed.

"Soon, Li, I promise. As soon as I know it is safe for you, I'll come back, even if I have to walk." She said, cursing herself for making her sister cry. Ok, what would make her laugh? Terri had always told her stories at night, when they were kids. Maybe that would work now. "Actually, I wouldn't even have to walk. Do you know why?"

Hiccupping, Lila stammered out a shaky "No."

"Because there is a boy here, he can run around the world in a blink of an eye! His name is Peter, and we are kind of friends. The second I know it's safe, I could ask him, and he take me home before you could turn around. Or, there is another boy here, his name is Kurt." She felt herself blushing, but continued. "He is super sweet, and he can teleport. With the exact co-ordinates of the house, and a little help from the Professor, I could be home just as quickly. How would you like that?"

"Tha-that would be cool." Lila swallowed, breathing deeply to calm herself. "They sound nice."

"Yes, and those aren't even the beginning of the powers some kids have here. You know, there is a girl that reminds me of you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, her name is Jubilee. She is so bright, and she can create these little…" Terri struggled for the right word. "Fireworks of light. She is really fun, she likes shopping, and dancing and trying to win those claw machine games at the mall."

"Of course, those stuffed animals are cute!" Lila said, thinking of the one time she had ever caught anything from it.

"And she likes to listen to a lot of different music. Even Cyndi Lauper." Terri confided, knowing that Lila adored the singer.

"She sounds cool. Could she come with you when you finally come home?" Lila asked, having sufficiently cheered up.

"I'll tell her you invited her. Can I talk to Drew now?"

"Sure. DREW!" she creamed, and Terri held the phone away from her face. "Drew, Terri wants to talk to you!"

"Terri!" her ten-year-old brother sang into the phone.

"Hey Andrew." Terri found herself grinning. "how's it going?"

"Awesome! Or, almost. If you were here, it would be perfect. But the MGs are super cool, and Troy, er, Mr Julen, is so smart! We are building a computer together!"

"Really? What for?"

"It's going to double as a game, and a security system!"

Terri blinked, half of that sentence had been expected. But the other… "How exactly are you going to double it as a security system?"

"It'll be a game, but when you plug in a red cord, it will connect to a system that allows you to operate the security stuff. Like, the game is a security sim, but you can hook it up to the real one!"

That sounded incredibly difficult to make- or run, Terri thought. As Drew continued to babble, Scott walked in to the room, saw Terri, and made to leave. She quickly covered the phone.

"Hey, Scott! Do you want to talk to your brother? I can ask my family to put him on for you." She offered, realizing that the only reason Scott wasn't with his brother was because of her.

He hesitated.

"it's no trouble, come on over here." To demonstrate, Terri spoke into the phone. "That sounds great bud, can you get Alex- or, um, Mr. Summers on the phone. His brother is here, and he wants to talk to him."

"Sure!" the boy said cheerfully, calling for him. Terri motioned Scott over, then left to give him some privacy.

* * *

"Hey Alex." Scott said into the phone.

"Hey little brother! How's it been going?" Ales laughed, and Scott let himself smile a bit- no one could see him anyway.

"Pretty good. Well, Stryker is still causing problems and Peter is a nuisance, but it's all good."

Alex hesitated. "Good to hear." He said finally.

Scott narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Nothing, really. How's it going with Jean?"

"Jean's great, I think she is definitely warming up to me. But really, what's wrong? Is that fake leg giving you problems?"

"Naw, Hank did a great job on it. So, how-"'

"What's wrong?" Scott interrupted, speaking slowly.

"Just new Intel, I'm sure the Prof will tell you later today as a team."

"Can't you tell me now?"

"Not a secure line. Anyone could be listening over the phone." Alex explained smoothly. Scott sighed, knowing he wasn't going to tell him anything.

"Fine. You gonna visit soon?"

"I'll try to. We want to keep one mutant at the house and one with the family, but we might be able to switch out on weekends."

"Cool." The conversation became lighter after that, until Julen called for Alex.

"Sorry bro, seems like I'm on babysitting duty again. Later."

"Later." Scott said, before hanging up. He looked at the wall, wondering what Alex wasn't telling him. Apparently, he was thinking rather loudly, because a few minutes later he heard the professors voice in his head.

 _'Alright Scott, I get the hint. Gather the team in the basement- oh, and bring Terri too.'_

* * *

 **AN: this is the shortest chapter yet, and it is a little bit of a filler, sorry. But, ending it here made it more dramatic, and the actions is about to start rising again guys! I hope yall have had a wonderful Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanza/ Yuletide/Nondenominational Winter Holiday and I wish you a happy new year!**


	10. Chapter 10

"So, what is going on Professor?" Scott asked once everyone had assembled in the basement.

"It wasn't me, I paid for those donuts!" Peter said preemptively, before opening a Twinkie.

The Prof gave a slight, bitter smile to the speedster, then sighed. "It's not Striker."

"What?"

"What's not Striker?"

"What do you mean?"

"But I thought you said-"

"Was? Professor, I-"

The Professor held up a hand, silencing their questions.

"The men who we have been tracking, they aren't working for Striker." Everyone leaned forward a bit, pondering the same thing: then who were they working for? The professor answered the mental bombardment. "A man named Nathaniel Essex. He apparently orchestrated Striker's release. Striker… was found dead yesterday. And by the looks of it, he's been dead for at least a couple of weeks."

A shudder went around the room at that, not for love of the man, but fear of whatever had befell him.

"What does Mori-uh, Ms. MacTaggart think?" Jean asked, eyes troubled.

"Well, they aren't still using the base you… invaded in May. Essex is incredibly wealthy, not legally, mind you, and has manufactured weapons in the past. We also think that the sightings of Striker that happened after his death was actually the Shape shifter they have. We think the two had a falling out over methods, and Essex eliminated the threat."

"Wonderful." Muttered Scott.

"Then, what are we going to do?" Jean asked, not sure what needed to change now.

"What we have always done." The Proff answered, shrugging. "We train and prepare and keep the school running."

Terri thought that sounded much easier said than done, especially if this Essex was well funded and proven to be violent, but she didn't have any ideas, so she stayed quiet. Still, Peter and Scott shared a look that clearly said they were thinking the same thing.

"So, anything else?' Peter asked, opening a large bag of Skittles. There was something tense about his eyes, his shoulders, that made one think he was even more impatient than normal.

"No, but Mystique wanted to discuss something with you. As for the rest of you, I want Scott and Terri to train with me now. Kurt, Jean, you're free to go."

* * *

"So, what's up Professor? Why specially training?" Scott asked as he followed the man to the Danger Room. Terri trailed behind, echoing the same sentiment.

"Well, this could be an opportunity to learn about both of your powers, I'd like to take it."

"You mean, turn her light into a super laser that she fired from her hand?" Scott was sceptical- but also nervous. If some other kid could have his power, but safer, what need did the Prof or Jean have of him?

"No, I just wanted to see how your beams are different than a normal light source, see if we could find an easier way for you to control it." Now Terri was nervous- she had only learned how to sense light like that yesterday…

Professor Xavier rolled his eyes from where neither self-conscious teenager could see.

Rolling into the room, he tossed Scott a box about the size of a regular tin can. "Here."

"What's this for?"

"It's a laser pointer. I want you to hold it steady, and point it at that wall. Terri, stand over here, please."

"this kind of feels redundant." Scott joked as he clicked on the laser.

Laughing, the Prof turned to Terri. "Try to sense the light in the laser beam."

Nodding, Terri turned and closed her eyes.

It was a little different from before. The room was lit, if dimly, so many waves and bits of light filled the air. The beam was still very easy to find- a loud, buzzing string of tightly twisted red. There was a great deal of power going into this, she realized.

Her arms drifted upwards as she felt along the stream, humming softly as she marked the constants in the beam. Then, she mentally pulled.

The point on the wall drifted to the left. Prof. Xavier clapped.

"Wonderful!"

Terri smiled as she made the little dot on the wall do loopdeloops.

"Alright, alright you little showoff!" Scott chuckled good naturedly.

"Showoff?" she asked as she released her hold on the beam and turned back to them.

"Did it feel much like the red light you created yesterday?" The Prof asked, interrupting the teens.

Terri tilted her head, thinking. "Well, a bit. But, it was different. Light naturally travels put in all directions, tries to fill the space. The laser, it was like a high-powered stream of it, the red could only go where it was pointed." She bit her lip, then smiled. "oh, is that why we could see the dot on the wall"- she pointed- "but not the light getting to that point?"

"Exactly."

"Can I put this down now?' Scott complained.

"Yes, thank you. All right, am I correct in assuming that you aren't quite up to the task of creating a laser yourself?' The teacher asked the girl, who shook her head vehemently.

"Oh no! Creating red and constraining it to only move in one direction… I'm just not sure about that yet!"

Scott relaxed slightly, then told himself off for feeling that way. In his head, of course.

The Prof smiled, nodding. "That's perfectly alright Terri. Now, back up a bit farther dear. No, not you Scott."

He wheeled back to the door, and she followed him, confused. Scott had a sneaking suspicion about where this was going.

"Now, Scott, blast the wall with your optic blasts. Terri, I want you to study the light that he generates."

"Sure." With a focused look and slight tap, Scott fired a lower powered blast as far away from the other two as possible. He kept on hand by his ear, just in case.

Again, Terri closed her eyes. She reached for the thick blast, but frowned. "That's not right." She muttered. The red emitted was normal, not like a laser, and bounced out from around the stream. The stream of something that was very much not light, and equally not a laser.

"What's wrong?" the headmaster asked, concerned.

"Look." Terri said, focusing on the mental image. The red is all normal, but the blast itself is completely dark- I don't know what it is but it's not a light… it doesn't feel like heat either… she thought, highlighting the pitch-black center of the optic beam.

"Is everything okay back there?" Scott asked, worried.

The Prof was about to answer, but Terri beat him to it. "No, everything's fine. It's just not at all like the laser beam. Hold on, I'm tracing along the length of it…" she felt along the uneven tube of light emissions. She couldn't feel anything past his glasses. Hmm… "Scott, can you take of your glasses?

"What?!" he exclaimed. "are you crazy?"

"I can't see past them to the source." Terri shrugged.

With a sigh, the glasses came off. Without them, Terri realized that the beam started as a cone from his eyes that smoothed off become a mostly straight line. The black center of the blast went all the way to the tip of the cone. After she described the image to the prof and the other student, Scott put the glass back on and turned around.

"So, what did you see?"

"The beam that comes from your eyes, it glows- it gives off light- but it isn't light."

"Huh. So, what? What does that mean?" the boy asked, unsure of the importance of this revelation. He had thought he had laser beams, yes, but some other kind of mutant beam that acted like his was all the same in the end, right?

"I don't know. I'll have to asked Hank about it. Well, I will see you two at dinner then. And Scott, don't forget that you have trading with the team tonight."

As she listened to her class mate tell the teacher that he had already been in training today- then being told that holding a laser pen for a few minutes and standing still a few more don't count as his training- Terri took everything that has happened in. She had experienced an entire different kind of light, one she could not create, but move all the same. She compared the red glow of normal light and the laser. She wondered if she liked one better, or if she even should. Then she stopped.

"Professor, where did you even get a laser?"

* * *

 **AN: AYE first update of 2017, I'm so sorry it took so long I got distracted by like everything. I have some star wars stories up now if you want to check hem out.**

 **How did yall like Scott? I tried to balance "Dumb Cool Teen" with "Young Leader/Boyscout" feels**

 **Leave a review and I will see ya next time!**

* * *

 **Oh yeah one last thing so laser pens where first used in the early 80's, but they where much bulkier and expensive than todays. lets say that Hank go wind of the idea and improved the design.**


	11. Chapter 11

Jubilee was showing Terri a line in her magazine.

"I told you they were dating!" She bragged. Terri held her hands up in defeat.

"All right, fine, but don't expect it to last." She turned back to her own magazine.

A whoosh fluttered the pages. Terri looked up to see Peter holding Jubilee's reading material.

"There's no way they will stay together." He muttered, handing it back. "I have an important question to ask." He continued.

The two girls blinked at him. "What?" they asked, Jubilee flatly, Terri interested.

"Who is faster? Me or Kurt?"

"Kurt or I." Jean corrected from behind him. She walked through the doorway. "And I thought that was a banished topic."

"It depends on how far you are going." Terri muttered tiredly, turning back to her 'zine. She had heard this argument way too many times in the less than a week she had been at Xavier's.

Kurt appeared at the door as well. "Peter," he complained.

"I got here before him." Peter pointed out to Terri, before turning dramatically and smiling widely. "Kurt! We were just talking about y-"

"Scott said you were talking about our comparative speed." The German informed him, rolling his eyes.

"How did laser-brain know?" Peter asked, stunned, before shooting a suspicious look at Jean.

The red head raised her hand. She didn't look very sorry. "Whoops. Anyway, Scott says that you-"she pointed accusingly at Peter- "were supposed to help him with his car today!"

"What that today?" The speedster checked her wrist. "Let's go, come on, Kurt!"

"Wha-" in a blur, the boys where gone.

"Anyway." Jean said, settling on the couch next to Terri. "are you excited about meeting your new roommate?"

Oh yes, Angelica was supposed to arrive today.

"Sure." Terri shrugged. "How old is she again?"

"Um, she's two years younger than you, I think, so fifteen?"

"Cool. Do either of you know her?"

'Sorta." Jubilee said, looking up from the magazine, "She's pretty cool, though she has a bit of an obsession about Disco- epically Dazzler."

Terri wasn't a music snob, so that wouldn't really bug her. Probably.

"Any plans for tonight?" She asked Jean, meaning 'Do you and Scott have a not-date'?

"Maybe. Scott might want to go for a drive, if he doesn't break the car, but with what's going on with Essex, we probably won't be out very long."

Jubilee smiled, and mouthed 'I'm sure.' to Terri. The brunet giggled, and Jean elbowed her.

"Nothing like that." She scowled. "And for your informa-" she cut off, her eyes loosing focus. Terri turned to the more experienced girl for an explanation.

"She's probably talking to the professor." Jubilee whispered. Terri had expected as much, and nodded.

Suddenly, Jean grabbed Terri. "Come with me. Jubilee, get Peter. Meet us in the Prof's office."

Terri let Jean drag her down the stairs, very worried. What was the matter? Had something happened to her family?

* * *

The Professor was on the phone, and waved for the girls to be silent. Mystique was beside him, frowning.

"I see. May I ask why Ms. Jones won't be returning this year for the summer session?" The professor handed the phone to mystique, then thought to the girls.

 _'Jean, I need to you search for the minds of Angelica Jones, or her parents. They live in south New York. Mystique is on the phone with them now.'_

To Terri's amazement, Mystique answered something on the phone with the professor's voice.

"Yes, yes of course, I meant no intrusion. I was just wondering. Now, about the deposit…"

The real professor continued- non-verbally. _'Her parents called suddenly and said she wouldn't be joining us today. It's very suspicious. I want to make sure there's no foul play involved… ahah! Good job Jean!'_

Terri sat still, trying to figure out what was going on. Jean had found something? A hand on her shoulder made her jump. Peter had arrived. He looked around, and Terri held a finger to her lips.

He nodded, frowning.

"I'll see if I can get you a refund then, let's see, what is your address again?" Mystique said, opening a file.

Peter raised an eyebrow. So it was not normal for mystique to pretend to be The Prof and take his calls then. Terri shrugged.

Then the Prof opened the telepathic communication back up. 'Peter, go to the address Raven found, The Jones are being held at gunpoint. Angelica should be stuck in a car somewhere near there. Take the Jones to SP 3, we'll have Kurt pick them up.'

The speedster looked at Mystique's file, then vanished.

 _'Terri, sound the blue alarm then get to the basement. The school is on lock down.'_

Nodding, Terri ran out the door Peter had left open. The blue alarm was just under the red one in the foyer. A few students looked up in confusion.

"Get to the basement, make sure to fill the elevators completely." Teri shouted as she pulled the lever. "Now!"

The Blue Alarm apparently set off a series of shrill beeps, then a recording of the Professor played. 'The school is on lock down. This is not a drill. Please get to the basement. Please completely Fill the elevators.' Before a brief pause. Then it repeated.

Terri led the four others in the foyer to the elevator. She waved them in, but kept her foot in the door. A small group of young children from the nursery where led in by Ororo and two others.

Ororo made sure the children go into the elevator. Then she grabbed Terri's arm and pulled her in, pressing the button.

"Listen." She told Terri. "The Safe room in strait down the hall, past the danger room. It has a silver X on the door. Make sure they stay there."

The door opened and she ran out to a room near the elevator, on the right. Terri wondered if she was grabbing weapons. From what she knew of the girl and her power, she didn't think she needed them.

One of the other teens that had brought in the nursery kids pushed Terri. He had bright red hair. "Don't go into shock." He said, tense smile on his lips. "Let's go." Terri followed him into the Safe Room.

It was a large room, with emergency lights along the ceiling. Rows of bags hung on hooks by the wall. Half of the floor was matted.

"Have you been here for a drill?" The red-head asked her.

"Nope." Terri said.

"Alright. Well, each bag had food for two people for three days, and a tarp for cover. The door-"he pointed to a barely visible section of wall on the opposite side of the room- "leads out into the woods. We only go through if the lights flash red."

Terri just nodded, then sat on the floor with some other kids. She recognized a few of them. No one said anything.

A knock on the door. The ginger looked out the window, then opened it. Jubilee tumbled in, with several other students.

Jubilee sat next to Terri. "Whats going on?" she asked.

"Um…" Terri looked around, wondering if she should say. The other student now watched her. A blond girl nodded. "Well, a student who was supposed to arrive today is… being held hostage. We're here just in case." Yeah, that sounded right. Don't panic them, but tell the truth.

"Who?" asked a girl with spikes for hair.

Terri shrugged. "I don't know who it is." Not true, thought she had never technically met Angelica, so she didn't know her…

* * *

The next half hour or so was a cycle of bursts of people entering the room, asking questions, yelling over each other to explain, and then falling into nervous silence.

The lights along the wall flashed green. A sigh of relief. Then, people started standing and moving toward the door.

"Let the littlies out first!" The ginger yelled, trying to organize the crowd.

"So we are all clear?" Terri asked Jubilee.

"Yep!" she grinned. Hold on, let's find Emma, EMMA! Over here!" she waved at her roommate.

"Now, Terri, who was the hostage student."

"Huh? I said I didn't know-"

"Yeah but you looked totally guilty."

"Fine. Angelica Jones." Terri muttered, trying not ot be overheard.

"That's weird." Jubilee frowned.

"What's weird?" Emma asked, having made her way over to them.

"Oh, just this whole thing. I hope whoever it was is safe."

Emma nodded, then asked Jubilee what her plans where for next week.

"I was thinking about going swimming." Jubilee agreed that it sounded nice. Terri wondered if she could get her mom to send her swimsuit. The Mansion had a nice pool, and it seemed a tragedy to waste it. But at the back of her mind, she was very worried.


	12. Chapter 12

Kurt was avoiding her, Terri realized.

She wasn't sure why, but he hadn't met her eye when the team had come back, sat as far from her as he could and still sit with the group at dinner, he had made some excuse to not hang out with the after…

She wondered if he blamed her- probably not consciously, but he was the one to save the joneses, and angelica just happened to be her roommate… who was attacked the same week as her, and had decided not to come this summer. It didn't seem like a coincidence anymore.

"Oh, Terri." Jean said, drawing her attention.

"Yeah?"

"We are going to the pool, wanna come?"

"I don't have a swim suit with me." Terri shook her head. And while she was about Jubilee's height, her extra swim suit wouldn't fit her figure.

Not to mention, it was a little late for the pool… The brunette's eyes travelled to Scott- who was wearing swimming trunks with his shirt from earlier. Oh, that was interesting.

"I'm good." Terri smirked. Jean cocked her head, then flushed bright read.

"Alterria!" She gasped. Jubilee burst out laughing. She might not be a mind reader, but Jean's reaction was enough.

"Don't worry," Jubilee stage whispered to Terri. "I'm a good chaperone."

"Jubilee…" Jean muttered, but the shorter girl brushed it off, almost pushing her and Scott out of the room.

"Your full name is 'Alterria'?" Peter asked with distaste.

Terri jumped- when had he gotten there?

"Good job though, that might have been in the top ten reddest of Jean's blushes." The speedster continued.

"You keep track?" Terri raised an eyebrow.

"Of course," Peter spread his arms. "Duh. And you get points for full name."

"Thanks." Terri said dryly.

"Your welcome." He responded seriously, before grinning. "So, 'Alterria', huh? No offense, but what where your parents on when they named you?"

"And I'm leaving." She laughed, standing up to leave.

"No, seriously, I want some of it!" Peter insisted.

"I'm named for my aunt." Terri shrugged. "Do you know where Kurt is?"

"Hosp-" Peter coughed. "Um, Hopscotch-ing outside, last I saw. Trying to impress the littler kids with flips. But that was earlier, and I don't know now…" He trailed off. Terri narrowed her eyes; he worried and he messed with his jacket.

"Did you just use 'hopscotch' as a verb?" She asked incredulously. Oh good, he hadn't messed up.

"Maybe. Why?"

"Um, because its not a word, Peter."

"Yeah it is."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh"

"Nuh-uh"

"Yeah-huh!"

It escalated from there.

By the time Peter had gotten distracted, left to find some snacks, then left again to prank Scoot, Terri had almost forgotten her initial question. Almost.

Terri quietly stood, and tried to remember where the Hospital Room was.

* * *

As she had expected, Kurt was there. He was fine though, sitting on a chair and quietly praying. Terri waited at the door, not wanting to interrupt.

She looked around, interested. There was one bed in the corner curtained off, but the other beds where empty. There was a small office for the Nurse and Dr. McCoy by the door, but the blinds where down and the door closed.

"- Amen." Kurt muttered, then stopped. Terri cleared her throat, hoping that was the last one.

Kurt looked up, then jumped a foot in the air.

"Terri! What are you doing here?" he asked- she noticed he stuck the landing.

"I was looking for you, sorry." Terri looked down, awkward.

"Nien, uh, no, you are good. I was just startled." He said, tucking the rosary into his jacket.

Terri shuffled between her feet, not sure how to answer that.

"Um, do you want to sit?" Kurt asked, waving to the chair next to one he had been in.

"Yeah, thanks. So, Jubes and Jean and all them are swimming now- in case you wanted to join them." Terri sat.

"Ah, no thanks. I am not great at swimming." Kurt admitted, sitting as well. His tail twitched nervously.

"That's alright. So, um," Why was it suddenly awkward to talk to him? Well, she might as well just ask. "Are you avoiding me?"

"Huh?" Kurt cocked his head, thinking. Why did she think that? "I have not meant to, Terri, I-"

The door to the office opened, and Two people Terri had not met walked out. They smiled at the two students, but then their faces went back to the floor. They shuffled over to the curtained area.

Dr. McCoy and Professor Xavier wheeled out. "Kurt, you can- oh! Hello Terri." The tall man started, realizing there was another student with him. his posture became tense, and Terri got the distinct feeling she wasn't supposed to be there.

"Hello Terri." The Prof said, looking perfectly calm.

"Hello." Terri said, standing as she considered excusing herself.

"I actually wanted to talk to you." Prof Xavier smiled. Oh. Terri looked at Kurt, who shrugged.

"In the hall." The Professor finished, turning around. "Oh, and Mr. Wagner, you should join us."

The students silently followed their teacher out, McCoy went back to the office.

When the door closed behind them, the Prof sighed.

"You don't have to follow us anymore Kurt, I just wanted to give them some time alone." Kurt nodded. "Ah, but your continued prayers would be appreciated."

"Of course. Thank you, Professor. 'Cya, Terri." With that, and a BAMF!, he was gone.

"Who was that?" Terri asked as she began to walk alongside the man.

"Oh, in there? It was Mr and Mrs. Jones."

"Angelica's parents?"

"Yes." Terri realized that Angelica must have been in the curtained off section.

"Is she alright?" Terri's voice cracked slightly.

"Miss Jones is fine, yes, but she was injured in the… incident."

"Oh, that's why she isn't coming to classes this summer?"

The Prof nodded. Terri thought for a moment.

"Will she have other mutants protect her? Like my family?" Terri didn't want things to get any worse for the Joneses, and the two in the Hospital had seemed nice, if sad. But they had a reason to be.

"Yes, that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Terri wondered for a moment if he was asking her to protect the joneses- which was as ridiculous as it was stupid- but the Prof just laughed.

"No, no, nothing like that. We are asking John Walters to stay with them, actually." Terri didn't see the problem. "Walters was one of the three with your family." He explained.

Oh, that made sense. "I don't mind." Terri said quickly. "They need him more, and my family already had three, its okay."

"Thank you." The professor smiled with relief, though Terri didn't quite understand. He didn't need her permission to send Walters to someone who needed it.

They had reached the foyer.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Terri asked.

"No, thank you. Oh, on Sunday there are three groups sent out to different churched, you can join one tomorrow if you'd like. The list is over there."

"Thanks professor." Terri hung back as he continued on to the basement.

Now she just had to find Kurt again.

* * *

He was sitting in the commons by the boy's wing, staring off into nothing. Terri realized his eyes almost glowed in the dark.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She asked as she sat down.

"Only a penny?" He joked, holding his heart. "I'm worth so little?"

Terri smiled, rolling her eyes. "Fine. You tell me your thoughts and then I can tell you how much they are worth."

They laughed. "Ah, I was not thinking much. Just that I wanted to apologize."

"Hm?"

"I did not mean to avoid you, I just needed to be alone for a bit after today's mission." He shrugged.

Terri blushed- she shouldn't have taken it so personally, what was she thinking- "Oh, of course. Sorry for accusing you of it."

"''salright." Kurt murmured.

"Thanks. So, have you started Hamlet yet?" that was supposed to be the senior's summer reading this year.

Kurt laughed. "Ah, I sorta read the first scene."

"Yeah, I kinda skimmed it too."

* * *

They chatted for a bit, Terri doing her best to not get awkward, or stare too long at his eyes.

Soon it was time for lights out, and Kurt stood and stretched.

"Come on Terri, you have to go back now."

Terri groaned, lying across the now unoccupied couch. "But that's all the way down stairs."

"The Professor will be checking in soon." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"That's nice." Terri said lazily, but then sighed. "Fiiiiiiiine. Help me up?"

Kurt chuckled, holding out his hand.

Terri took it, and stood. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Terri realized she was still holding his hand. She let go quickly. "Um, I'll go-o to, uh, bed now. Yeah." She turned, then stopped, and turned again. "It's that way."

"Good night Terri."

"Good night, Kurt."

* * *

It was not a good night.

Somehow, the emptiness was overwhelming. The other bed was empty, but it felt different now that someone should have been in it.

Terri shifted away, facing the wall instead. The bed creaked, then silence. Back home, there would have at least been the sound of her sister's breathing.

 _Well, if it didn't bother me before, it shouldn't bother me now_ , Terri thought, squeezing her eyes shut. But it did bother her, and she turns back. She can't keep her eyes closed- those men who attacked her school, who shot at them, shot at children, shot at Kurt- where they the same men who attacked Angeline Jones? Had she been drugged by a dart, knocked out, or had she been awake and terrified as she was led out of her home by the solders.

Looking at the empty bed again, Terri wondered what Angelica jones looked like? In her head, all she saw was Lila.

Stop thinking like that, it isn't your fault! Terri wanted to scream at herself. Instead, tears stung at her eyes.

She didn't let them fall, hiding her head under the blanket. She stayed curled up for almost an hour, wanting to sleep so badly but unable to silence her thoughts, before she finally drifted into sleep.

Several doors down, a telepath stirred in her sleep as she sensed the opening of guilt and fear in another girl. Red lines flicked around her, but soon both young women where deep enough into sleep the emotions couldn't be felt, and the mansion was still again.

* * *

 **AN: ah yes, the angst. wasn't it nice to not have it, that one time, before I was too young to read or watch anything X-Men related? truly, what a nice five minutes of my life.**

 **Love all of you lovelies, see ya next time!**


	13. Chapter 13

"Didn't sleep well?" Jubilee asked Terri at breakfast. The students had slept in a bit, but several groups where being bused out to churches, so everyone tended to wake a bit earlier that on Saturday. Scott had staunchly refused to do this, as starting tomorrow they would have summer classes and wouldn't be able to sleep to noon until the weakened.

"Well, I slept fine once I was actually asleep- just took a while to get there." Terri yawned.

Jubilee nodded in understanding. "Well, once you get back, do you want to hit up the pool?"

"Still no swim suit."

"Really? I thought-" Jean bumped the girl. "Oh, right."

Sleepy as she was, Terri was suspicious. "Huh?"

"Oh, I forgot neither of ours would fit you." Terri raised an eyebrow, pointed looking at Jubilees figure, then down at her owns, and exaggerated rolling her eyes.

"I can see why. Mine are pretty… forgettable." Jean choked, and Jubilee started cackling.

"Oh, that's a good one- Peter!" The spunky mutant snapped, realizing Peter had sped up to them and heard the last bit of the conversation.

Peter sat down next to jean, then scrutinized the other girls.

"Well, you are pretty..." Peter gestured to his own chest. "But Jubilee is hardly an D-cup either."

Jean hit him.

"OW! I was just tellin' the truth, Mini-Prof." Still muttering under his breath, Peter began to shovel food in his mouth.

Kurt walked up behind the group, shaking his head. "Whatever Peter did, I'm sure he deserved it." Terri turned, and saw he didn't had any food.

"No breakfast?" she asked, eyebrows furrowed.

"I already ate." Kurt shrugged. "My group is leaving for Mass soon."

"Hey, Kurt!" Peter smiled. Too widely, Terri thought. "Do you agree with me that neither Terri-Anne nor JuJuBean is wearing an D-"

Jean hit him again, harder.

"AH! Jean! You don't even know what I was going to say!"

Jean arched a brow. "I am a telepath, Peter. And you could have dodged it."

"Well, it is hilarious."

Kurt waved to the group, laughing, and said it was time for his group to leave.

Terri finished her food, and decided to go back upstairs and get ready. Jubilee offered to do her hair.

* * *

Sitting on Terri's bed- Terri looked at the wall, not the other bed- the two chatted for a bit. Jubilee wasn't one for church, and meant to finish their reading assignments for tomorrow. She told Terri that Jean had some lessons with the professor, and Ororo liked to work in the greenhouses alone.

"Sounds fun." Terri stood, stretching. "I think I have to be going now."

"Not without him, you aren't." Jean said from the door. The other girls turned, surprised. Jean stood by the door, holding the arm of an irate Scott. Ororo stood behind them, watching with some interest.

"Why do I have to go, it's not even my usual church- and it's not a holiday." Scott sighed. "And it's early in the morning."

"It's at 10:30."

"Still morning. Really Jean, are you mad at me? If this is about last night-"

Jean sighed. "It's not. Trust me Scott. Go with Terri. Have I ever been wrong before?"

"Well, there was Illinois…"

"The correct answer is 'No', Scott." Jubilee laughed as she followed Terri to the hallway.

"Can't you just tell me why?" He whined.

"No. now go, you are going to be late."

"But I don't-"

Ororo sighed, getting bored of this. "Scott, at the very best all your dreams come true. At the least, you get some more Jesus. And if I am telling you that you need more of someone else's God, its bad enough for you to listen."

The other girls laughed. Scott gave one final sigh.

"Fine. But it better be the 'All my dreams come true' option and not 'harebrained idea to get Kurt jealous and just kiss Terri already."

The girl in question coughed, not excepting the tables to have been turned on her so quickly. "Um, what?'

"It isn't that." Jubilee said soothingly, before Jean gently pushed Scott and Terri down the hall.

* * *

It wasn't that, as it turned out. Filing into the chapel, Terri looked around for somewhere to sit. Several of the Mutants sat together in one pew, but some splintered off to sit with friends or-

 _Family._

Her family was sitting in a pew, watching her enter. Drew waved.

"Drew! Lila! Tony!" Terri gasped, eyes wide and watering.

"Alex?" The boy asked behind her. Then Scott was pushing Terri up to the pew, and hugging his brother.

Terri walked around them, and was promptly tackled by Tony and Lila.

"Terri!" They announced happily. Their mother shushed them.

"We are in a church!" she murmured, but she smiled broadly just the same.

The family behind them shifted awkwardly. One of the older ladies cleared her throat. "I'm happy for you, and this thing happens all the time with the mutant school and all… but the pastor will be starting soon…"

"Of course. I'm sorry, Ma'am." Terri blushed, before sitting down. Her mother put her arm around her, and Lila grasped her hand. Tony and Drew kept trying to pass her notes. All in all, it was difficult to pay attention, and Terri had no memory of what the pastor had said at any point, but all the same it might have been one of the best Sundays of her life.

* * *

Afterwards Terri stood with her family in the little foyer, chatting animatedly. She was introduced properly to the mutants guarding her family, and told them all of her adventures in the large school, and what she had learned about her powers.

"That's totally wicked." Drew breathed, his eyes as large as saucers.

"There's really a pool?' Lila asked.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Mom said, rummaging through what Terri belatedly realized was a much larger purse than usual. She pulled out a bag and handed it to her. "Some clothes, your swim suit, hair brush, makeup, your favorite cassettes, stationary, and some chocolates. And, uh, Roseberry is in there too."

Terri's eyes were wet again as she hugged her mother. Mom had really thought of everything- even Terri's old stuffed bear she almost didn't even remember.

"And there's another box's worth in the car, the boys put it on the school van so you can unload it when you get back."

Terri squeezed her mother tighter, sniffling. "Thanks Mom. I love you."

"Love you too, Terri-bear"

The school chaperone indicated it was time for them to go, and Alex agreed it was safer back at their home and school respectively, so he ruffled Scotts hair one last time, and moved away.

Back in the large van, Terri nudged Scott. "So, since Kurt isn't jealous amd Jean's never wrong, I take it all your dreams came true?" she asked.

Terri could feel the eye roll even if she couldn't even see it. Scott's wall of being cool and not the kind of guy who was emotional and vulnerable around his big brother was coming up again.

"Whatever you say." Terri laughed before Scot could lie about how happy he was. "Wanna go swimming once we get back?"

That night, after a day long from laughter, Terri laid down in her bed, in her own pajamas for once. She smiled as she remembered trying to splash Peter from the pool before Kurt had arrived from his church and told them it was dinner time, then reading with him in the library.

The smiled fell slightly as she glanced toward the black hole in the room- Angelica Jones's bed. She pulled Roseberry from her bedside table and hugged it close. Then slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

An alarm woke her up, and Terri resented the fact.

Right. Monday.

She groaned, hitting the clock on the desk until it quieted. She looked at the time. 8:00. Much later than a school year, but still…

A knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

Whoever it was didn't answer, just opened the door and ran- because of course it was peter, wasn't it always?- to her bedside.

"Time to wake up!" he cheered, as Terri gasped, pulling up her blankets. Then he vanished as quickly as he had come. Terri heard the distinct sound of someone screaming down the hall.

Well. That was exciting.

Another voice burst into loud swears as Peter continued his rounds. Starting to giggle, Terri hopped out of bed. Oh, she could finally wear some of her own clothes! Picking a pair of shorts and a lightweight maroon shirt with a golden sun, she got ready for the day. It was too early to care about makeup, but she smiled as she set it aside for later.

Leaving her room, Terri followed the smell of pancakes to the cafeteria. She bumped into someone in the commons at the end of the Girl's dorms, and she stopped to apologize.

Sudenly, the smell of sulfer and smoke filled her nostrils as in a puff of blue, Kurt landed in front of her. He landed flat on the ground, hallway through a german exclamation.

Terri jolted back, wide eyes looking at the boy on the ground- brown eyes met gold as the boy sheepishly shrugged.

"Peter." Was all he said as Terri gave him her hand and lifted them up. Terri didn't hold on as long this time- she was realizing that Kurt was still in sleeping clothes: red boxer shorts and a white tank top.

"Uh, yeah, same." She rushed, looking back to his eyes, and realized she could easily see both as his hair was a mess that stood all on end. "Peter woke all of us up too." She said slower, then mentally groaned- has she already said that, or just thought it?

Kurt didn't reply, though his cheeks and ears where getting suspiciously purple, almost like he was… blushing. He scratched the back of is neck awkwardly and his tail swung side to side, almost tripping some girls.

"GottaGoSeeYouLater" he said in a rush that could rival Peter's before bamfing away again.

* * *

 **AN: ah, look. a happy, fluffy, funny chapter. lol hope it lasts.**

 **(sorry, it wont last. you see, next chapter is the first day of classes. including gym classes. and Logan is there to teach...)**


	14. Chapter 14

Terri tried not to make eye contact as an embarrassed Kurt sat at their table.

"Morning." Jean said brightly- she was an early bird, Terri noted with something akin to jealousy. The telepath laughed. "You got to sleep in until 8, that's better than school!"

Jubilee sighed. "But it's not enough. Morning people just don't get it."

"They just don't." Terri agreed. "But, I think waking up in a nicer way would have made it better."

"Peter?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, didn't he wake you up?"

"He isn't that stupid." the red head snorted.

"He might be brash." Jubilee agreed, "but he doesn't have, like, a death wish or anything."

"Lucky you." Terri said as Scott slammed his plate on the table. "Not a morning person either, Scott?"

A groan as his head disappeared into his hands was all the answer they needed. "I'm going to kill Peter." He murmured. The icing on the cake, Terri thought wryly.

"Talking about me?" Peter asked as he sat down next to Terri. "Goodness, I have some stories! Hey- where did you port to, Crawler? Ya'know, when you jumped a mile into the air after I scared you?"

"Startled, not scared." Kurt corrected almost primly.

"The Girl's Common Room, the one by the stairs." Terri answered. Kurt gasped at the mock-betrayal, holding his heart. She grinned at him, shrugging apologetically.

Peter laughed. "Don't get too comfy, Alterria! I saw that teddy bear, and you practically dived under the covers when you saw me, which I found particularly ironic; why'd you need to cover your torso after talking about how fla-"

Jean flipped a pancake off his plate onto Peter's face, effectively shutting him up.

"Thank you." Terri mouthed. Jean nodded, delicately taking a bit of her own pancakes. Teri admired her class, she decided. Jean was always poised, though it must be difficult with everyone else's voices in your head.

"Sometimes it makes it easier." Jean said, smiled at Terri. "Like when I'm around this one." She pointed her fork at the speedster. "I mean, _Scott_ looks poised compared to him, so."

Both boys in question looked up in confusion, and Jean and Terri laughed. Jubilee and Kurt assumed Terri must have asked her something silently, and ignored the relative strangeness.

"Laugh it up, Terri." Peter smiled. "today is your first gym class, and Wolvy agreed to teach it for the summer."

Scott groaned at this, and Jean elbowed him. Jubilee looked up, excited.

"Logan is staying to teach? YES!" she cheered.

"It's Coach Howlett, Jubes." Jeans said at the same time Scott added:

"You won't like him half so much once you have him as an actual coach."

Jubilee waved her hand. "Its fine, Logan loves me."

Several of the kids around the table made sounds of disbelief, and Terri asked them who this Coach Howlett was.

"Logan Howlett, aka Wolverine, aka Wolvy, but only if you can outrun him." Peter smiled. "He's the tall, jacked dude with metal claws and the weird haircut." Peter flipped two bits of his hair up. "Kinda like this."

Terri furrowed her brows. "Hm, was he that lumberjack- looking guy I saw in the basement that first day?"

"Yep." Peter popped the 'P'

"Metal claws?" Terri asked. She hadn't seen any…

"Yeah, they used to be bone, then he got himself a shiny new adamantium skeleton. They can retract into his hand." Peter shrugged, then realized the others were looking at him strangely.

"How do you know his claws used to be bone?" Jean asked. "And, wait, how do you know he agreed to teach? It wasn't announced yet?"

Peter cleared his throat. "Ah, well, teacher privileges. Chuck told me I'd only have to be coaching the littlies this summer cuz Wolvy would take the older kids."

Terri would have believed him if Jean didn't look so suspiciously at the boy.

"And maybe his lips are a little looser with alcohol." Peter added finally, before standing. "Anyway, I gotta go, teacher stuff, ya know."

He sped off, and Kurt turned to Jean. "Peter was getting the Professor drunk?"

The telepath choked, then laughed. "No, no, he meant Coach Howlett. Although, his healing factor means it take an exorbitant amount to get even tipsy…"

"Maybe he chugged some vodka." Scott shrugged.

Jean scowled. "No, he's a teacher."

"Doesn't mean anything."

"The professor wouldn't let him anyway-"

"Dude, he doesn't do anything about our stash"

Jean narrowed her eyes at the interruption

"- and he wouldn't really want to get drunk anyway, and-"

Scott rolled his eyes.

"Oh, how do you know that? He's practically an alcoholic-"

"Don't call him that, he's not-"

Kurt, Jubilee, and Terri exchanged worried glances.

"Frequents more bars than Alex did after Vietnam, Jean-"

This couple was starting to all-out argue.

"Well, he isn't Alex-"

"What do you mean by that?!"

Jubilee cleared her throat, to no avail. Kurt nudged Scott, but got an irritated swat back. Terri received the same from Jean.

"Could you shoot your sparks at them?" Terri asked.

"That's against the rules-" Kurt began, but Jubilee was already shooting one large PAFT towards each of them.

Both looked down, confused, before the PAFTS burst into a bright light then faded.

The good news was that they weren't arguing with each other. The bad news was that they looked ready to fight the other three together.

"Jubilee, you aren't supposed to use your powers in the cafeteria." Jean said in a deadly calm voice while Scott growled.

Kurt looked around, realizing most everyone in the dining hall was watching them. His tail slowly slid behind both girl's waists, just in case. It turned out to be unnecessary, as the bell interrupted anything the couple might have done.

Kurt and Terri jumped up. Terri regretted it for a minute, missing the comfort of Kurt's gesture, then told herself not to.

"That's the last bell for breakfast, not class." Scott said, grinning. "You don't have to leave yet.

"Ah, but we wouldn't want to be late." Terri said in a rush, then the two ran out.

Jubilee leaned across the table, then thought loudly to Jean: ' _Your fork was floating. Sorry.'_

Then the pigtailed girl ran after her friends.

Left alone, the two looked down at the table. Then, at the same time, they blurted out:

"Sorry."

Jean smiled softly, and Scott rubbed his neck.

"So, how bad is Coach Howlette?" Terri asked the other two in the hallway.

Kurt groaned and Jubilee cackled.

"He's not that bad." The girl reassured at Terri's unamused expression. Kurt snorted. "He's not." She insisted.

"Fine. He is not that bad. If he likes you." Kurt admitted.

"He does like you." Jubilee said.

"He calls me 'Elf'."

"So do I."

"Not as often. I think he thinks 'Elf' is my name."

"So, beyond the nickname thing, what's he like?" Terri broke in.

"He is… well, he's Logan." Jubilee shrugged.

"He is… enthusiastic about training." Kurt said.

"Yeah. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he's a real softy at heart." Jubilee admitted.

"He might drink and smoke a lot, but he doesn't let students do it." Kurt added

"Yeah, 'cuz he said he can't get drunk or cancer or whatever. But he won't give any students alcohol."

Kurt snorted a little bit. Jubilee turned.

"What? Are- wait, who did he give alcohol to? He said he wouldn't slip me any!"

Kurt just smirked. Terri's heart jumped. "Maybe he has not because he likes you." He said.

Jubilee rolled her eyes, but she had to concede. "Maybe. Wait." Her eyes narrowed. "Has he offered you any?"

"I have never had any of Coach Howlette's alcoholic stash." Kurt raised his hand like he was in court.

"Has Scott?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow. "No, Coach hates Scott."

"And he likes me. Hence my thinking maybe he hoped he would die of alcohol poisoning or something. But really Kurt, who has had some?"

"Peter, Shawn. Robert said Coach offered him one night, well, kinda."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he thought he was being offered it, but Coach just wanted him to open it!" Kurt laughed. "I don't know if he ever got any alcohol from him that night, or if he just nabbed some from Scott's stash."

Terri shook her head, trying to follow the story. "Who're Shawn and Robert?"

"Shawn's a redhead, likes working with littlies. He's a legacy." Legacies were second or third generation mutants. "Robert is really tall, black, has green hair."

Terri tilted her head, then placed the faces to the names.

"But, speaking of Coach Howlette, we do have gym in an hour. Come on, Terri." Jubilee tugged her away up the stairs.

* * *

After changing into acceptable gym clothes and packing a bag with her first outfit, some make up, and a shower pack, Jubilee deemed them ready to go back down.

"You never really know how much time you'll have after to change, since we've got lit right after, so it's best to bring this. Do you have a water bottle?"

"Nope." Terri said, pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"Hmm. Well, we can get one in the kitchen."

"So, I'm not that athletic…" Terri said, fiddling with her bag's strap.

Jubilee puffed her bangs up. "You'll be fine, Terri. Just don't act too nervous or pitiful and you won't annoy him. But don't backtalk him too much either, that's why he doesn't like Scott."

"Great. Don't be nervous about the guy who can smell fear."

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Girl, he's not the most dangerous teach here. Mystique and Magneto are freaking fugitives. Internationally wanted. Logan's just an old dude who happens to be good at fighting and likes kids."

Terri blinked.

"True."

After swinging by the kitchen to get water, Jubilee led her to the gym.

"Hi Logan!" she chirped to the coach, who looked like he was hiding his amusement.

"That's Coach Howlette to you, Firecracker."

"Sure, sir." Jubilee rolled her eyes. "So, where've you been? Super-secret x-men missions?"

Logan didn't even bother looking up from his attendance sheet. "If I was, I couldn't tell ya. Summers is late, so I'll just check that down."

The girls exchanged glances, looking unsure (Terri) or amused (Jubilee).

Sure enough though, Kurt bamfed in a minute later, then Jean ran through the doors as the bell rang. A second later, Scott followed her in.

"Alright everyone, 3 laps to warm up. Five for you, Cyclops."

"I hate that name." Scott muttered as he ran by.

"Only when Logan calls you it." Jubilee pointed out.

"Extra lap for you, Firecracker!" Logan called over to her.

The girl only laughed as she pulled Terri along. "Come on. We're only doing three laps."

* * *

 **AN: lol I know I haven't posted in a while, I had major writing block on how to write Logan. I think I'm figuring it out now tho.**

 **there will probably be a time skip coming up, as something... explosive is scheduled for the fourth of july...**


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